In the current ‘global village’, economic and commercial exchanges are necessary and unavoidable. Economic development does not take place behind closed doors. Industrial and developed countries seek market, cheap workforce and import of raw materials from less developed states. In return, underdeveloped states are in need of industrial products, knowledge and technology.
Economic interdependence comes as trading goods and services, investment and exchanging workforce around the globe. In modern world, trade in services such as transportation, insurance, banking, educational and research activities, financial and legal services, etc. is likely to increase bilateral and multilateral dependence. Economic competence is on rise across the world.
Globalization acts as a catalyst for commercial exchanges.
Globalization is a process through which economic, political, social, and cultural exchanges and relations are extended across borders. In contemporary era, markets, enterprises and law are all globalized.
To extend economic cooperation and remove trade barriers, the countries should seek to unify their commercial laws, decrease the level of tariffs and observe the principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which replaced General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1995. The WTO includes trade in services, aspects of intellectual properties, and committed to observe the needs of developing countries and recognize their legal rights for economic development and make efforts for preservation of ecosystem. Member countries are supposed to take a number of principles into consideration. For instance, they have to ensure freedom for trade, decrease tariffs, eliminate all commercial discriminations, etc. The WTO has three main organs – trade policy review body, dispute settlement body and conference of ministers – to ease and facilitate trades and business globally.
It is self-explanatory that connectivity and exchanges are highly crucial in economic development. If a country is seeking to develop in economic sector, it has to open up to the outside world and promote exchanges. I remember vividly when Chinese officials reiterated opening-up for economic progress, saying if a country wants to be rich, it has to build its road first, an indication of promoting connectivity and building roads, ports, and airports.
Poverty is deeply imbedded in Afghanistan despite the efforts made by the government to promote the country economically. A large number of people live below poverty line and unemployment is rampant. It should be noted that the country will not make progress only through building a hospital, a water dam, or a single airport. The government has to work on infrastructures and extend exchanges with the outside world. Since Afghanistan is a landlocked country, it has to build many international airports and make free trade zones in provinces where the level of poverty is high. The level of commercial exchanges in secure provinces should be higher with the neighboring countries. Of course, security is the most significant issue to step up exchanges and promote business and trade. In short, symbolic inaugurations of few buildings and dams are unlikely to bring tangible changes into the life standard of the local people. The government has to show how many people have been put to business and got employed, how much the life standard of locals has improved, and how much the poverty has been alleviated.
The level of poverty is still high and scores of people are unemployed. The government has to sign agreement with the neighboring countries, mainly China, to send workforce since more than half of the population is under 35 years of age in Afghanistan.
It is believed that if jobs are created and our workforce is sent to the neighboring countries through legal channel and via bilateral and multilateral agreements, on the one hand, the gap between state and nation will be narrowed and, on the other hand, the youths will not show tendency to join militant groups. Moreover, the level of crime will decrease to a great extent.
Officials have to note that bragging about economic achievements should stop since Afghanistan is still one of the poorest countries in the world. As a result, a large number of youths migrate to neighboring countries as well as Europe, Australia, America, etc. to escape poverty and unemployment, not to mention insecurity.
If the same trend continues, and the government does not take more concrete steps in alleviating poverty and creating jobs, the consequences will be horrible and the nation-state gaps will widen. The people, mainly the youths, have shown great tolerance notwithstanding the abject poverty and lack of jobs. In short, poverty is a very formidable problem and the government has to deal with it immediately. There should be organized short-term, mid-term, and long-term projects for alleviating poverty and promoting the level of economy.