This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to a man and a bank for their work and theories on micro-credit and other grassroots methods of eliminating poverty. When I first read this I thought it was the prize for economics, but after re-reading it realized the press release was for the peace prize.
Muhammad Yunus has shown himself to be a leader who has managed to translate visions into practical action for the benefit of millions of people, not only in Bangladesh, but also in many other countries. Loans to poor people without any financial security had appeared to be an impossible idea. From modest beginnings three decades ago, Yunus has, first and foremost through Grameen Bank, developed micro-credit into an ever more important instrument in the struggle against poverty. Grameen Bank has been a source of ideas and models for the many institutions in the field of micro-credit that have sprung up around the world.
I find this very interesting; early in my international business class we had a debate about whether poverty breeds (or contributes to) terrorism, and the Nobel committee seems to be saying that it does. For my part, I agree; I think poverty breeds desperation and ignorance (through lack of education), two factors that increase the likelihood of terrorism on a macro scale.
Thoughts?
[tags]nobel peace prize, muhammad yunus, grameen bank, micro-credit[/tags]
Skirl | Dan Dickinson 
Its a weak argument at best. As discussed here, poverty will induce crimes against property, but not violence.
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020624&s=krueger062402
Terror is more likely attributible to injustice. As Iraq proves injustice cannot be eliminated if the solution is deemed injust.
But aren’t poverty and injustice often linked? Economic injustice is one of the more common varieties, I’d think.
Iraq is a special case, too. Obviously the terrorism that’s been fostered there is the result of a very unjust invasion, so I agree that injustice (like a violent occupation) is another driving force behind terrorism.
Perhaps injustice — a specific injustice, usually — is a spark, while an issue like poverty is “kindling”. Religious fanaticism is another form of “kindling”, though in my opinion, religious fanaticism is a form of ignorance, which I’ve already mentioned.