Military solutions not the answer, warns Sachs

from Arabian Business

by Joel Bowman

Environmental issues, such as the lack of potable water and arable land, are the driving forces behind much of the world's conflict, according to renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs.

"Mankind's impact on the environment is unprecedented. Humans are changing the earth in a way that threatens our collective survival more even than war," Sachs told attendees at The Gate Lecture on the fourth night of the Dubai Invernational Financial Centre (DIFC) Week.

Environmental problems invariably lead to political ones, observed Sachs, citing the ongoing catastrophe in Darfur - caused primarily by a shortage of water – as a prime example. Sachs also made reference to the violent instability in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan as examples of systemic environmental problems creating political tension.

Sachs called for an intelligent, compassionate solution to the problems, iterating that the promotion of technology, economy, education and health are far more effective than guns and tanks.

"The US is trying to solve a political problem in a very ancient culture solely by military means," said Sachs. "It is not working. Young people in those countries have nothing to do and little stake in a future they can work towards. The root cause is poverty."

Exponential population growth and rapid economic expansion of emerging nations will precipitate a tectonic shift in power from the west to the east, bringing with it new responsibilities and opportunities for nations like those of the GCC, according to Sachs.

Nations need to take a new approach, one that does not rely on the militaries of the world, if the Millennium Promises of eradicating poverty and promoting environmental sustainability are to be realized, Sachs told attendees in his The Gate Lecture on the fourth night of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Week.

"We've gotten it drastically wrong with the idea of a 'clash of civilisations' or the inevitability of conflict or the 'war on terror'," Sachs told the crowd. "Instead, we should focus on the underlying roots of conflict and instability and the common challenges we face – particularly the environment and poverty. In this way we have an opportunity to overcome differences by working together. It's the only way to get peace and to get peace in this region," he said.

The man The New York Times calls "probably the most important economist in the world," stressed the vital role of economics in the process but showed that the traditional role of the US as the "single superpower" would acquiesce to the east due mainly to the surge in Asian populations, particularly those of India and China.

The world, said Sachs, is in the throws of "The Age of Convergence," a period that is propelling industrialized and increasingly modernized emerging markets to the fore.

"The poor," he explained, "are now surging ahead, advancing economically at a pace that is unique in human history."

The Dubai International Financial Center Week runs from November 17-23 and includes presentations from world class speakers on issues ranging from Islamic finance to global warming and carbon trading.