GLOBAL DIVIDES
IMPORTANT ACRONYMS TO REMEMBER
G8 Group of Eight
G20 Group of Twenty
HDI Human Development Index
GDP Gross Domestic Product
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
MEDC Most Economically Developed Country
LEDC Least Economically Developed Country
USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
PRC People’s Republic of China (Mainland China)
ROC Republic of China (Taiwan)
NIC Newly Industrialized Country
BRICS Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa
NTB Non-Tariff Barriers
BOP Balance of Payment
QUICK REFERENCES
Proxy Wars (Belligerents) during the Cold War ● United States of America and the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics
● East Germany and West Germany
● North Korea and South Korea
● People’s Republic of China (Mainland) and
Republic of China (Taiwan)
● North Vietnam
BRICS ● Brazil
● Russia
● India
● China
● South Africa
Highest Economies in the World ● United States of America
● United Kingdom
● Germany
● France
● Italy
● India
● China
● Brazil
Economic Tigers of Asia ● Singapore
● Taiwan
● Hong Kong
● South Korea
THE GLOBAL NORTH
● Affluent and economically stable countries
● Includes the G8 (Group of Eight) and four permanent members of the UN Security Council
● Includes Australia and New Zealand
● 64 countries have a high Human Development Index (HDI) by the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP)
● More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs)
○ Stability of economy
○ Better standard of living and quality of life
○ Distribution of education and health care
THE GLOBAL SOUTH
● Developing countries
● Lower GDP, HDI, and standard of living than the Global North
● Includes most countries in Africa, Latin America, and developing parts of Asia except Japan, Hong Kong,
Macau, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan
● Total of 133 countries
● Considered as Least Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs)
○ Unstable government and poor economy
○ Poor standard of living and quality of life
○ Low GDP and HDI
● Why is the South at a disadvantage?
○ Colonization
○ MEDC Countries were imperialists during the 13th century
○ Less economic opportunities in MEDCs
FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD WORLDS
● The term first emerged in 1996
● Fashioned out of categorization, including First, Second, and Third World
FIRST WORLD COUNTRIES
● Refers to developed, capitalist, industrial countries.
● Formerly known as the “Western Bloc”
● Has political and economic interests
● North America, Western Europe, Japan, and Australia
SECOND WORLD COUNTRIES
● Former communist-socialist industrial states
● Formerly known as the “Eastern Bloc” or those that the USSR influenced
● Russia, Eastern Europe, Turk States, and China
● THE COLD WAR
○ Geopolitical Tension between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the USA
○ It started when the USSR established several bases to liberate eastern European countries after
WWII
○ Caused Belligerents (Proxy Wars) between the Allies and the USSR
■ United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
■ East Germany and West Germany
■ North Korea and South Korea
■ People’s Republic of China (Mainland) and Republic of China (Taiwan)
■ Vietnam
● NOTABLE OUTCOMES FROM THE COLD WAR
○ Split of USSR into several republics and dissolution of Totalitarianism in E. Europe
○ Formation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC, Mainland China) and Republic of China
(ROC, Taiwan) being kicked out of the UN as well as the Security Council
○ The fall of Saigon and the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
○ Split of the Korean Peninsula
○ The victory of the US and its allies in preventing the spread of communism across Asia
○ Fall of USSR due to unethical practices
THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES
● Countries from Africa, Asia, Latin America, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Mali.
● They suffer from high infant mortality, low economic development, high levels of poverty, low utilization
of natural resources, and dependence on industrialized nations.
● Economies are dependent on developed countries.
● Developing Countries or Newly Industrialized Countries (NIC):
○ These are states/countries that were previously third-world but could cope with second or
first-world countries.
○ Economic Tigers: Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea
THE BRANDT LINE
● Made by German Chancellor Willy Brandt
● It is similar to the Global North and Global South but is a more “discriminating” North-South Divide.
● It uses the terms “Rich North” and “Poor South”.
● The term ‘South’ was branded out of the Brandt report (1983)
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX (HDI)
1. long and healthy life: Life Expectancy index
2. Knowledge: education index
3. a decent standard of living, not just surviving: gross national income (GNI) index
The South was often associated with starvation, malnutrition, poverty, and epidemics.
● Though hunger and poverty continue, the number of wealthy people is rising.
● Countries' historical, political, and cultural contexts can be attributed to why they are still poor.
SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION (Mendez, 2015)
● Poor countries copy the model countries that escaped poverty and successfully establish themselves as
Newly Industrialized Countries.
● This is handled by the UN Office for South-South Cooperation.
The Global North and Global South are never static. Many factors can affect a country’s state
● Technology
● Migration
● Literacy
● Employment
● GDP
BRICS (Goldman Sachs, 2001)
● BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
○ South Africa only joined in 2010.
○ BRICST is the term for the new members of BRICS.
● It is also said to become the wealthiest and is described as an emerging superpower
○ The role of BRICS in the global economy has increased over time.
● It serves as an alternative away from the usual Western influence.
● There has been competition between China and India for leadership of the BRICS.
