The nights of Third World countries seem never-ending. Even when morning arrives, it lacks the radiance of dawn. Though the hands of the clock point toward morning, the stormy winds from the northeastern sky do not subside.
The eastern sky turns red, yet that glow seems to remain frozen in place. Sometimes, the situation appears reversed, as if the hands of the clock are spinning backward.
This brings to mind a line from a song by Jatileshwar Mukhopadhyay—"What kind of morning is this, darker than the night?"
Even after gaining independence, the economic plight of Third World countries worsens beyond what is expected. These underdeveloped nations possess natural resources, abundant human capital—yet they do not receive fair value for these assets.
In other words, the exploitation and deprivation of the people of the Third World never cease. The developed nations climb to the top using them as a ladder, only to forget about that ladder afterward. Instead, they offer so-called aid in the form of meager loans under the pretense of lifting the Third World out of poverty.
These loans help sustain life through immense hardship, but they never lead to real improvement in living standards. Thus, even when morning arrives for these nations, the light of the rising sun remains elusive.
Though they may have achieved political independence, economic freedom, self-sufficiency, and overall development remain distant dreams. Even when the sun of independence rises in these lands, it appears eclipsed and veiled.
Throughout history, these nations have been exploited time and again—first by colonial powers, and later by the economic dominance of so-called developed nations.
The European imperialists once saw these countries as mere sources of wealth, ruthlessly extracting their natural and human resources. Even after independence, this cycle of exploitation has not ceased; rather, it has taken a new form.
Bangladesh’s vast human resources serve as low-wage labor abroad, contributing to the economic prosperity of developed nations, yet their own earnings remain minimal. It is as if darkness forever lingers beneath the lamp.
In terms of natural wealth, the Third World is not poor at all. The underdeveloped nations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America hold vast reserves of minerals, oil, agricultural produce, and human capital.
However, through various strategies, developed countries exploit these resources at will—acquiring raw materials at low prices and selling them back as processed goods at exorbitant rates.
To break free from this stagnation, Third World nations must undergo fundamental economic restructuring. They must build self-reliant economies, which is an extraordinarily difficult task in the complex global economy of the 21st century.
This requires deep patriotism. Additionally, the establishment of a transparent and corruption-free administration could pave the way for development—but such ideals often remain confined to books. The reality is that Third World countries are the battlegrounds of global geopolitics.
So, why, no matter how much the clock hands indicate "morning," in reality, morning does not easily arrive for the people of these nations. For them, every day remains—"What kind of morning is this, darker than the night?"
No one knows when a true morning will finally come.
