Sign of the Times

The economic recovery in recent years has allowed the rich to get fantastically richer, but an interesting article from the Financial Times today shows the typically poor, third-world continents are not being left out either. In fact, they are leading the increase (on a percentage basis) of high net worth individuals (people with liquid assets >$1m), with Africa reporting nearly 12% growth and the Middle East and Latin America nearly 10%. The catalyst behind this surge can be attributed mainly to the commodity bull run that began in 2003 and is expected to continue throughout the next 10-15 years. With greater demands for metals, energy, and other key resources, countries rich in natural resources stand to continue to benefit significantly. As giants like China and India seek to meet new demand by courting tiny countries with untapped resources, it's raining money in countries like Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Angola, Morocco, and Uganda--countries normally accustomed to financial drought. When you add in the Latin American and Middle East countries surfing the commodity wave, an interesting picture develops. Governments typically known for instability, coups, corruption, and inefficiency are now benefactors of the developed nations' current productivity boom.

The question becomes: What do these governments' leaders do with all their newfound capital? Pure and simple, they seek to assert their new power. We're starting to get a glimpse of this in Latin America. Venezuela's revolutionary Chavez is doing his best Robin Hood impression as he popularizes himself among South America's underprivileged, while socializing his country and making influential alliances. His radical stances are being well received by many in the region seeking change while bristling the nerves of the U.S. and its allies. Other regional leaders are beginning to catch on as well. Bolivia is making the shortsighted mistake of nationalizing industries and Peru was dangerously close to electing an ally of Chavez last month. As money continues to pour in and power begins to shift, the arms and alliances will only continue to accumulate. While the dynamics are different in the Middle East and Africa, the evolution will be intriguing and necessary to watch.

The fact that these trends are just beginning combined with the other major geopolitical changes taking place (globalization, the information revolution, a U.S. war in the Middle East, and the rise of new superpowers) make this period in history uniquely interesting.