We have reached Part III, which is titled “Structural Inequalities.” This is a very broad and significant topic, and the essays featured in this section cover a wide range of problems and solutions. The section begins with an introduction by Dr. Kate Seaman called “Acknowledging and Addressing the Inequalities in the International System.”
In this chapter, Dr. Seaman points out the ways that the fundamental structure of our international systems plays a direct role in the possibilities and limitations of responding to global problems and building peace. Institutions like the UN were created in a period that is very different than our current moment. In 1945 there were only 74 recognized sovereign nations, while today, there are 195. Additionally, colonialism, imperialism, and racist social science, heavily influenced past conceptions of global governance. While conscious values and terminology have changed, the power and influence of that systemic inequality remain.
“When examining inequalities on a global scale there is a tendency to focus on economic inequalities such as wealth and income, this focus is not surprising when we recognize that 50% of the world’s wealth is going to the richest 1%, or that the 80 richest individuals own wealth equal to that of the poorest 50%, around 3.7 billion people” (Seaman, 2022, p. 204).
There is a tendency to focus on wealth and economic inequality when looking at a large scale. This is understandable as the inequality between nations is very visible and is a big problem. However, economic inequality does not exist in a vacuum. It informs and is informed by many different systems and global-scale challenges, from climate change to health and war. As Dr. Seaman points out, underlying structural inequalities built into the functionality of our global processes often serve to perpetuate oppression and increase the unequal distribution of consequences. A deeper examination is needed into why and how the vulnerabilities to inequality exist. While it is important to highlight how these problems manifest and impact people, treating the symptoms will not cure the disease.
Dr. Seaman also looks ahead to the contributions of other scholars featured in this section. Professor Valentine Moghadam highlights how inequalities intersect with the lives of women and the processes of building peace, particularly in conflict zones. Dr. Elizabeth Hoover writes about the impact of environmental contamination on Native American women and explores the links between climate justice, women’s rights, reproduction, and peace. Finally, Dr. Simon Dalby focuses his chapter on the ways that globalization and climate change intertwine and how they both have an impact on structural inequality and the global economy.
The focus of this section is, as the title suggests, structural inequalities. Beyond that, the authors look to explore the interconnected nature of seemingly disparate problems, as well as to uncover the ways in which our current systems perpetuate inequality. In many cases, these systems are not failing; they are working as designed. Many global systems we still rely on were developed by a very narrow demographic and were never meant to promote the equality of marginalized populations. Therefore, we must closely examine both the intent and the impact of our global systems and move from an ideology of equality to one of equity, where everyone is given the resources they need while balancing the interests of the planet as a whole.
Like the other section introductions, this chapter concludes with some questions that will help inform your experience as you read. I encourage you to think deeply about these ideas, though many of the questions are impossible to answer definitively.
“When working your way through these chapters, we encourage you to use the questions below to delve deeper into the issues raised and to think about how new approaches might provide solutions to the challenges we face.”
- How does the current structure of the international system influence how we respond to insecurity?
- In what ways does inequality limit our ability to respond to large scale global challenges?
- What can be done to reorient our approaches to be more inclusive of previously marginalized groups?
- How can we reconfigure the international system to be more relevant to the realities of world society today?
- What role does the recognition of the interconnected nature of global challenges play in enabling the pursuit of alternative approaches and solutions?
- How can we ensure that any changes to the current system do not replicate the problems of the past?
(Seaman, 2022, p. 207)
About the Author:
Stella Hudson is a Graduate Assistant with the Baha’i Chair for World Peace. She graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2021 with a B.A. in English. She is attending the University of Maryland and pursuing a Master’s of Library and Information Science.