English Essay on “Trade vs Aid” Complete Essay, Paragraph, Speech for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Trade vs Aid

Trade, as one of the oldest and most enduring of occupations, plays a very important role in our everyday lives. It is also perhaps the most pervading of human activities, embracing in its fold, the work of an ordinary street vendor, who sells ice-cream or vegetables, and the activities of nations around the world, which exchange their goods and manufactures for the money and merchandise of others. The desire or need to trade, as well as the actual practice of trading, has served as a catalyst in the discovery of lands and the spread of culture. It has also brought people belonging to different parts of the world to work together for their common benefit. But trade was not always to the advantage of everyone. It was, in a way, the chief harbinger of colonialism, which devastated the delicate fabric of global relations. Even though colonialism no longer exists in visible form anywhere in the world, its vestiges, discreet and deceptive as they are, have permeated relationships among nations. In fact, very often, these vestiges expose themselves to dictate these relationships.

Active colonialism of the past, inspired by the desire for plunder and exploitation, impoverished much of the world and deprived the colonised people opportunities for decent sustenance. Even though the colonialists left their colonies, they were soon back in them for the sake of aiding the development of those regions. However, the practice of giving aid for development has only helped the revival of colonialism; though in a passive and more civilised manner. The countries that benefit by aid are naturally obligated to the donors, who utilise such obligation to create a new form of colonialism — neo-colonialism. From the conduct of the donors, it is clear that they are more interested in wielding influence than in sincerely helping development.

It is, therefore, obvious that the practice of aid-giving does not in any way contribute to healthy and equitable relations among nations. Though aid-giving has often led to fruitful outcomes, it is, as indicated, only a refined substitute of colonialism. On the other hand, trading activity, by extolling the need for interdependence among people, and the advantages of such interdependence, contributes to cooperation and fraternity among nations. By doing away with the concepts of favours and indebtedness, and replacing them by the ideals of mutual trust and respect, trading activity contributes infinitely to better international relationships.

Since trade contributes more effectively to welfare and prosperity, it should naturally be preferred to any form of assistance. Many developed countries, headed by the United States, were, in fact, in the latter half of this century, active votaries of free trade, which would enable the easy movement of goods, services and capital across national boundaries. They took the lead in the creation of such fora as the GATT, and its later version, the WTO, to make international trading more dynamic. But these countries have lately been realising that the gulf between their assumed prosperity and the perceived’ poverty of the developing countries is alarmingly narrowing, to the extent that, under an absolutely free trade arrangement, the collective might of the developing countries, derived from their reserves of natural resources and cheaper labour force, will overwhelm the advantage, the technological superiority of the developed world gives it. Thus, for securing their trade interests, the advanced countries have, on the one hand, been restricting the spread of technical knowledge to the developing countries, and on the other, securing through both fair and foul means, the advantages of natural resources that the developing countries have.

The manipulation of global trade practices, to the advantage of certain privileged countries, shows that, despite cherishing ideals, like equality, fraternity and cooperation, the longstanding selfish tendency to dominate others is as alive as ever in the human psyche. But, as some of the recent developments show, the developed world, however hard it may try, cannot munch away the entire cake of prosperity. Since cost of labour is increasing in the developed countries, they are forced either to hire labour from developing countries, or to relocate their industries in these countries, to take advantage of the cheaper labour available there. Furthermore, as certain industries, like textiles and metallurgy, are becoming either unviable or hazardous to the environment, the advanced world is forced to look to the developing countries for supplies from these industries. For yet other reasons, countries like Japan, which depends entirely on exports for its prosperity, has a vested interest in nourishing the health of its client economies. If these client economies suffer any crisis or debacle, Japan will be obliged, in its own interests, to come forward to help them. This feeling of interdependence, which advancing global trade helps create, will certainly contribute to all-round prosperity — a possibility strong and sufficient enough to dilute the effects of unfair and inequitable practices that exist in certain trade transactions. It is thus clear that the virtues of trade far outweigh the benefits of aid, and hence, it may be established with enough emphasis, that the future of the world is certainly in the development of trade — not in the dispensing of aid.