How Has the World Changed in the Past 40 Years?

How has the world changed in the past 40 years?

Our world is constantly changing and moving so fast, almost at the speed of light. After two world wars and disasters of geometric proportions, the world has witnessed tremendous changes in the last four decades. With the end of World War II came massive industrialization in most parts of the world. It was a period marked by relative peace and the setting up of various regional and global trading blocs and institutions. Global institutions like the United Nations and the World Trade Organization helped to foster unity and integration, as well as trade between and among nations. The post-World War II era laid the foundations on which most of the developments we see today are built upon. Technological advancements in particular have changed the face of the modern world forever. It has brought about the use of personal computers in almost every home and the growing use of mobile phones. The GSM revolution has digitized the way people speak and continues to push mobile telephony to new heights even in areas where there are no network coverage. For example the Thuraya satellite phone. Again, information and communication continue to shrink the world into a global village. The growth of the mass media has added speed and rapidity to the gathering and dissemination of news around the world. The 24-hour television and most importantly, the internet guarantees seamless communication and television viewing on various mobile devices. The growth in technology has brought about very fierce corporate competition. The quest for survival pushes companies beyond the frontiers of their local environments into the international sphere. Today's business environment is predicated on a predator-prey relationship, where the struggle for and the consolidation of industrial power is the order of the day. Multinational companies now exist across borders, due to the huge volume of trade. More than before, the movement of people and funds are easier, as there are cheaper and faster air travels, and the proliferation of credit cards. At the click of a button, we are exposed to happenings and marketing situations worldwide.

More countries are becoming democratic in parts of Africa and Asia. The fall of the Soviet Union and its fragmentation and the rise of Asian power houses like China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan with all the economic indices to show are further attestation to our changing world. The election of Barak Obama as the first African-American president of the United States and effects of the economic recession on the world. The rise and fall of criminal masterminds and repressive rulers like Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and Muammar Ghaddafi are evident for all to see. Terrorism is becoming a global issue and has become a worrying concern of governments both nationally and internationally. There is greater cooperation between countries in relation to military and secret service information sharing to check global crime and terrorism. The expansions of military operations to trouble spots are laudable efforts at trying