International | Rethinking the “third world”
Seeing the world differently
The poor world has changed fundamentally. Others are barely coming to grips with the implications
|
EARLIER this year, Bob Zoellick, the president of the World Bank, grandly declared that “2009 saw the end of what was known as the third world”—that is, the end of a distinct, separate section of humanity that is poor, aid-dependent and does not matter very much. Is he right?
This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline "Seeing the world differently"
More from International
Taiwan’s new president faces an upsurge in Chinese coercion
But China’s bullying of Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines risks an explosion
The world’s rules-based order is cracking
Human-rights lawyers are trying to save laws meant to tame violent rulers
Beware, global jihadists are back on the march
They are using the war in Gaza to radicalise a new generation