Still in ruins...
Only hope remains for this nation

Kyrgyzstan is inflicted with both political unrest & economical strife. With 40% population existing below poverty line in 2004 & with the country’s economy exhibiting a minuscule 1.4% growth in the following year, Kyrgyzstan’s economy is in for a serious toss. The capacity of Kumptor gold mine to which Kyrgyzstan owes about 10% of its GDP, will also fizzle out in a few years & it is said that the authorities have taken a wrong decision about the profit yielding mine. The political furor & the economical ruckus of Kyrgyzstan are apparently in direct proportion to one another as a consequence to which protests & loot preceded by demonstration against President Asker Akayev seems to be the root of all the chaos. The famous Tulip Revolution of 2005 forced him to flee to Russia but even after his departure, situation hasn’t improved. There is a speculating of a second revolution because of their inability to foresee any prosperity for the country’s future. Nothing but an aggressive cultivation of congenial foreign relations teamed up with a vehement effort towards political stability will metamorphose Kyrgyzstan’s economy.

No U-turn
Mayhem continues…

Uganda is stuck in a web with no escape routes perhaps. Though a country endowed with rich mineral resources & fertile agricultural lands, forget the zenith, Uganda’s economy has not even touched the base of the economic plateau. President Yoweri Museveni is to be largely blamed for such exacerbations of misery of the common Ugandans even though he has been instrumental in getting Uganda rid of the mayhem of Idi Amin. Idi Amin became a thing of the past but the mayhems continued. With regional conflicts in Rwanda, Burundi, Congo & Northern Uganda, violation of human rights by the UPDF soldiers, it has always been a foregone conclusion that the Uganda economy would be affected. Moreover, factors like widespread AIDS, kidnapping of children (at least 30,000), young boys made to ransack villages & abduction of girls & pushing them into prostitution, pose a ripple effect on country’s growth. Uganda can regenerate. All that it needs is a saviour.

Get going...
…with tryst with prosperity...

The remains of 36 year long civil war, which ended almost a decade ago, still haunts Guatemala. Even after the peaceful agreement which paused the internal armed conflict that claimed not less than 200,000 indigenous lives, Guatemala still tussles with internal stability & remain as a fragile state. Failing to bring about peace in the nation, clubbed with two shocking events that took place during 2005, leaves this country in a state of anarchy & chaos. One was that of finding documents which evidenced controversial records of the 36-yearcounter- insurgency. The other one was massive mudslides which destroyed lives of indigenous communities. Government has failed to curtail widespread crime (claiming 5,885 lives in 2006 alone) which is eventually manifesting in the weak judiciary system & ongoing impunity. The situation gets worse in case of women (1,877 women were raped, tortured & killed in 2005) wherein most of the cases go unreported and then ignored. On economic front, Guatemala is growing, even though social & economic disparities are areas of concern. It’s now or never situation for this country wherein the policy makers need to set priority & get going with the tryst with prosperity...!

Adieu to misery? Still not done...
Except crime, nothing is growing…

The world associates Guyana more with ‘Jonestown’, the murder-suicide of the priest Jim Jones’ thousand followers in Guyana in 1978 than as the lowest populated American nation. Jonestown was a gloomy representation of Guyana’s struggles at a crossroad of totalitarian governance. However, much has changed since then. Forbes Burnham with his political party, People’s National Congress, has been replaced by People’s Progressive Party. But, Guyana finds itself again at a crossroad because of a combination of political, environmental & economical problems as the country come to grip with democratic governance & liberal economics. Caribbean Developmental Bank stated in 2003 that Guyana achieved GDP-per capita of $986 & with mere 0.7% growth. Though, later the economy has recuperated to 3.2% growth in 2006 but it still remains hopelessly one of the poorest economies in western hemisphere. Despite debt relief from developed economies & international financial agencies, it carried a debt burden of $1.08 billion in 2004. The 2005’s highest rainfall since 1988 has caused severe damage, costing US$500 million to the economy & the consequences seriously tested efficiency & effectiveness of the government. Dynamics of party campaign financing is an example of how illegal entrepreneurs & few affluent individuals influence electoral selection & civic policy. Horrific crimes like murders have declined but kidnappings, arm robberies increased by 50% in 2005 over previous year. While the government has miles to go, it needs to resolve the issues with judiciary which will fortify the transparency of judiciary chancellor appointment, which in turn is expected to fortify the transparency of judiciary system. But then, are they listening???

Still in the search of respite…
Borrowed vision cannot save it...

Consistently retaining its place in the list of the ten most poorest countries of the world is Malawi. As per HDI 2006, about 65.3% of the people are below national poverty line & approximately 43% below the international poverty line. Malawi is being macerated not just by poverty, huge debts, poor education & environmental problems but also by health problems like Tuberculosis which has evoked the need for a nick name called ‘The Big Cough’. The economical scenario is beleaguering big time with a per capita income of merely $600. Of the population consisting of 10 million people, 6.53 million people are poor in Malawi, about 90% stay in the tribal villages thereby earning their living through fishing, farming or through tobacco production, which also happens to be the country’s key agricultural source. Malawi garners 90% of its export earnings from agricultural goods & the its GNP owes 38% to agriculture, vindicating the overriding dependency on agriculture of this poverty ridden country. To worsen matters, the country is also witnessing a rise in number of HIV victims. Malawi’s economy is apparently following a steep downward sloping curve. Despite the retrogressive nature of the country, it would not be an overstatement to say that Malawi can still recuperate from its contemptible state. Apart from being the member of several international organisations, Malawi has always treaded the part of a pro-Western foreign policy. Apart from maintaining cordial relation with big names like the US, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the World Bank & IMF, Malawi is also focusing on community empowerment through the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, which was introduced in 2002. Along with the Malawi National Tuberculosis Control Programme, Fresh Water Project, Euthini Water & Sanitation Project etc are definite steps towards right direction, but then these intervention are too limited considering the depth of predicament. The transition would be challenging but then that’s how great nations are made.

Now what next??
Peace or turmoil...!

Even with a backdrop of overwhelming scenic beauty, the open area in the hub of the Nepalese capital can’t be described as beautiful. After the restoration of democracy & new government in Nepal, civil war seems to have apparently ended but then it has already affected the economy & consequently slowed down the pace of development. The Maoists, in this nation, nested in the lap of Himalayas, have not yet completely shunned violence & therefore the chances of return to armed conflicts prevail. Its amount of economic disparity is evidenced in its top 10% households controlling about 39.1% of nation’s wealth. Acute poverty & unemployment compels many to move to neighbouring countries for livelihood. Corruption as usual is a major problem & the recent revolution hasn’t been able to mitigate it. Embezzlement of public funds is a rule, searching for exceptions. Transition from monarchy to democracy is, theoretically, a good move but then to successfully sustain it would be Nepal’s biggest challenge. Take a note please!

Why not now?
...before it’s too late…

After the unification of Yemen in 1990, the rendezvous with development took place at unprecedented rate in this small Arab country. But in the face of heavily armed citizenry, internal violence and tribal influence limit the government initiative of bringing peace & security to the nation. Yemen ranks 150th on HDI, which by any standard is not worth appreciating even though it has developed legal safeguards & laws, intended to prevent human rights along with allowing citizens a degree of freedom of expression, which is not present in many other Arab countries. But lack of accountability eats away whatever good could have accrued to this nation. Most of Yemenis in government positions do not perform their duties, thus hampering the administrative functioning at large. On the economic front, trade & international relations suffer due to absence of proper laws. For Yemen has a tremendous location advantage for it to take clue form other growing middle east economies & leverage them to their advantage.

‘V’ stands for ???
...Vietnam & vision!

Despite the ravages of the Vietnam War, the country has apparently recovered and is creating quite a stir in the South-East Asia. Vietnam has made a name for itself as among the fastest growing economies of the world. With foreign investments having tripled & domestic savings having quadrupled, Vietnam is basking in the glory of success. Over the years, it has shed much of its ideological idiosyncrasies and has taken a much more pragmatic approach for economic and social development. Yet not everything is rosy. The inflation rate also shot up to 7.5% per annum in 2006.Various other problems pertaining to this country are a downside, like huge mass of human resource (45.3 million workers in 2006), a relatively inferior education system & increasing incidence of usage of drugs. Social development thus has not kept pace with economic development. Moreover relations with countries like China have soured in the recent past over energy issues. Thus, although Vietnam is on the path of progress, it has to tread cautiously as the climbing up the pyramid of growth would bring with it many tectonic shift s, which it has to handle cautiously. For non-economic progress should complement economic prosperity.