They wish only to achieve self-determination, and in so doing, raise their incomes. These goals have so far been unattainable. The poor have failed largely because of their failure to defend their homes, their natural wealth, and their unity. They have been molested by foreign powers, and they have lost their dignity and independence. They have been divided and exploited.
Economic depression is the logical culmination of decades of dependence, humiliation, and violence.
Their poverty and weakness ensure that their natural wealth is rapidly extracted, and on terms that excite the colonial power and humiliate the colonized. Around the world, in the developed world as well as in the developing world, there is a reluctance, even a great reluctance, to examine and study our new world and to search for practical options and solutions. Dramatic and profound events are under way, yet there is no effort to understand and analyze the new world now forming. It is seen as threatening, and this is no doubt our most daunting obstacle. Immense power and wealth is rarely shared, and challenges are invariably given a hostile and even violent reception.