How to Improve International Relations

Mechanisms for substantial improvement of the developing economies is a central ingredient to world peace. Few doubt that the wealth of the world is concentrated in the hands of a few nations. The U.S. and Canada, Western Europe and the Pacific Rim control an overwhelming portion of the world's wealth. This is an important cause of international friction, as advanced nations often use the natural resources of the less advanced for the benefit of the former.

Provide a forum for airing grievances and complaints to more powerful states. Some hold that stronger institutions of international power, such as the United Nations or the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), should be strengthened to give the developing nations a more powerful voice in international affairs. The NAM is an organization of mostly poor states that serves neither the left nor the right in international politics. It serves to promote the interests of the developing world without reference to ideology.

Allow developing countries to use their own natural riches for their own benefit, rather than for the benefit of those who make finished products in the developed world. This idealist and nationalist view holds that the developing world should combine forces to protect a country's natural resources from foreign exploitation. Much of the world's oil, tin, copper, diamonds and zinc is located in the developing world. (Reference 1)

Strong states should protect the sovereignty and independence of weaker states. Many leaders hold that strong states in the developed world are necessary to protect developing nations' resources from predatory powers among the wealthier countries. According to this view, weak states are unable to defend themselves against the rich and this results in more conflict between developed and developing countries.