Smith continued, "Poor governance and extended internal conflicts are common among these low-income countries under stress, a new World Bank report observes, but past international engagement has failed to yield significant improvements. The report emphasizes that to avoid 'adverse spillover effects -- such as conflict, terrorism and epidemic disease -- the international community and the World Bank need to find more effective ways' to assist these fragile states."
Fragile Nation-States Freefall -- Horrible Consequences
Nothing can be done once these fragile states freefall into starvation, wars, terrorism and genocide. Look at Darfur and Sudan today.
Do you think Americans care? Short answer: nope!
However, given enough time, the same problems impacting those societies migrate here to affect our society.
"U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned that failing countries present 'unparalleled danger to U.S. security,' and that they 'serve as global pathways that facilitate the spread of pandemics, the movement of criminals and terrorists, and the proliferation of the world's most dangerous weapons,'" Smith said. “Though the World Bank report points out that the countries it cites are home to nearly 500 million people, roughly half of whom earn less than $1 per day, it does not single out spiraling human growth as a factor in their plight."
Today, two billion people stand at-risk on planet Earth. Third World nation inhabitants dream of migrating to a First World nation. This thinking breeds unrest and contempt.
Look around this world as to demographic overload
You can see, read or hear about it on any public service channel. You'll see religious leaders and programs to 'feed the children' -- but when they feed the children; those they feed grow up to birth even more children – kids that die in greater numbers.
If they used common sense, they would STOP celebrating burgeoning populations and instead provide birth control and education along with food.
If they don't provide birth control, those organizations create even greater deaths in the future. Again, you cannot fool Mother Nature.
"The total world fertility rate is 2.7 children per woman; for the industrialized world, it is 1.6 children per woman," Smith said.
§ The omission of rapid population growth from the World Bank's report is a serious fault -- considering that women average six or more children in eight of the countries it labels as fragile: Afghanistan, Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Somalia.
§ "The birth rate is five or more children in another eight countries : Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Guinea, Nigeria, the Palestinian territories, Sudan and Togo.
§ "And it is four or more in six fragile states : Central African Republic, Comoros, Solomon Islands, Vanuatau, Haiti and Laos.
Smith said, "Such high total fertility rates lead to disproportionately large youth populations -- an indicator, particularly in impoverished countries where educational and employment opportunities are few or virtually nonexistent, of fertile ground for radical and terrorist group recruitment."
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