New International Relations for the New Millenium

By Dhimitraq Gjoni, student at LaGuardia Community College Changes in the world caused by mass media (TV, newspapers, magazines), technology of communications such as phones and e-mails, travelers have made the world a global village. Living in the U.S. and being aware of my country's major political, economical, social as well as cultural happenings is something quite extraordinary and moderately engaging. Besides having a long-lasting interest in my country's affairs, I am well informed in the global arena as well. And that's the major reason why this opportunity presents a unique experience for Americans and people living in America to meet people from diverse cultural backgrounds (Asia, Africa, Europe...) Therefore, Americans and those foreigners are given an opportunity to learn more about those different cultural groups and try to understand them and their problems. Americans are the perfect example of how people can live better in a society with ethnical backgrounds. In addition, they are educated and have a good experience in terms of conflicts, the international terrorism, lack of education, bad nutrition and water, lack of food and of electricity. However, they remain blind to cultural diversity of the other countries in the world. The resultant misunderstandings can lead to a certain lack of respect toward the people whose cultural values are different from ours and potentially this group of people might even experience harm directly or indirectly, culturally, psychologically, physically, or spiritually. By the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) which were set in 2000 by the United Nations, we know that the world spends $900 billion on arms, when more than 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day and 238 million of them are young peple. To eliminate hunger and extreme poverty we have to spend $50 billion. One hundred fifteen million children do not attend primary school and 3/5 of them are girls. Two million children die because of diseases such as Tuberculosis and Malaria spread by dirty water. Eight thousand people die from AIDS each day. These are rather disturbing numbers, arising globally, which should be brought to immediate attention, even though sometimes individuals, tend to ignore the reality and live in a make-pretend world. As a matter of fact, the importance of these figures is one of the leading causes in developing conflicts of different nature. These conflicts and issues can profoundly affect our lives, and to protect our existence we have to work hard together, as a community trying our best to resolve these problems. A good economic cooperation would give people a chance, especially to the ones who want prosperity and an improved life in various aspects. It is hoped that living together may help to dispel those misunderstandings for a better life. Dhimitraq Gjoni E-mail: dhgjoni@yahoo.com E-mail: dimitri.gjoni @gmail.com

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