Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Reflection Questions #2

Writing prompt

1. Why have some countries donated more in aid to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan than others?

There are several reasons countries have differing amounts in aid for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan: 
  1. The amount of resources that the country has. For example, the US has more money to donate to the victims than Vietnam
  2. How linked two countries may be are in terms of socio-economic aspects. An example being the UAE which employs thousands of OFW's. 
  3. Political tensions such as the conflicts in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) are possible reasons why China may be giving a meager donation compared to other countries with its financial stature. 

2. How does the aid being sent to victims of Typhoon Haiyan represent the following:

altruism - This philosophy makes individuals feel morally inclined to help those that are suffering from the aftermath of the typhoon. Additionally, countries and organisations are themselves "pressured" to donate funds in order to maintain a certain image. 

geopolitics - Countries such as the US which have played such a strong role in the upbringing of the Philippines in the past, as well as the present, represented this through the large sum that they donated to the relief efforts. On the other hand, China, has donated a meager sum compared to countries of its economic stature. Its small donation is suspected to be due to the current geopolitical tension in claiming the Spratly group of Islands. 

neo-colonialism - 

No comments:

Post a Comment