Page 35 - Rockefeller Lockstep Document

with the capacity to help their citizens and and networked criminal enterprises exploited
retain stability and order. Resource scarcities and both the weakness of states and the desperation
trade disputes, together with severe economic of individuals. With increasing ease, these
and climate stresses, pushed many alliances “global guerillas” moved illicit products through
and partnerships to the breaking point; they underground channels from poor producer
also sparked proxy wars and low-level conflict countries to markets in the developed world.
in resource-rich parts of the developing Using retired 727s and other rogue aircraft, they
world. Nations raised trade barriers in order to crisscrossed the Atlantic, from South America
protect their domestic sectors against imports to Africa, transporting cocaine, weapons, and
and — in the face of global food and resource operatives. Drug and gun money became a
shortages — to reduce exports of agricultural common recruiting tool for the desperately poor.
produce and other commodities. By 2016, the
Criminal networks also grew highly skilled
global coordination and interconnectedness
at counterfeiting licit goods through reverse
that had marked the post-Berlin Wall world was
engineering. Many of these “rip-offs” and
tenuous at best.
copycats were of poor quality or downright
With government power weakened, order rapidly dangerous. In the context of weak health
disintegrating, and safety nets evaporating, systems, corruption, and inattention to
violence and crime grew more rampant. standards — either within countries or
Countries with ethnic, religious, or class from global bodies like the World Health
divisions saw especially sharp spikes in hostility: Organization — tainted vaccines entered the
Naxalite separatists dramatically expanded public health systems of several African
their guerrilla campaign in East India; Israeli- countries. In 2021, 600 children in Cote d’Ivoire
Palestinian bloodshed escalated; and across died from a bogus Hepatitis B vaccine, which
Africa, fights over resources erupted along paled in comparison to the scandal sparked by Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development
ethnic or tribal lines. Meanwhile, overtaxed mass deaths from a tainted anti-malarial drug
militaries and police forces could do little to stop years later. The deaths and resulting scandals
growing communities of criminals and terrorists sharply affected public confidence in vaccine
from gaining power. Technology-enabled gangs delivery; parents not just in Africa but elsewhere

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