Indian Requests Western Effort To Understand Afro-Asian Nations

Chancel Sarkar, an Indian Nieman Fellow in residence at the University, charged last night that the United States has "blind spots" in its attitude toward the underdeveloped nations of Africa and Asia.

Speaking before a small group of World Federalists at the Union, Sarker claimed that Americans are so interested in free enterprise that they cannot understand the present socialistic trends of these poorer nations. In addition to this "economic blind spot," Sarker noted an intellectual vacuum in the United States' inability to distinguish between Communism and Marxism.

"Americans must learn," he claimed, "that a nation can use the tools of Marxist analysis without being Communist."

Sarkar believes that the economic gap between the richer and poorer nations of the world has strengthened the strong nationalistic tendencies of underdeveloped nations. Capitalist countries must learn to understand this spirit of the Afro-Asians before there can be peace and prosperity in the world, Sarker warned.

Points Out Western Ignorance

The ignorance of the U.S. and Great Britain in regard to the structure of the Afro-Asian countries has intensified the difficulties of communication and understanding between the Western and the underdeveloped areas, Sarker claimed. However, he believes, that "ignorance is not the monopoly of America and Britain," since even countries within Africa know very little about each other.

In addition to the problem of communicating with the rest of the World, the Afro-Asian countries face two serious internal problems, according to Sarker.

The first arises from the integration of small, separate tribal groups into the new nations. Sarker explained that this has led to sub-nationalism that makes the pursuit of common goals extremely difficult. Secondly, the new nations face a common lack of competent leadership in the coming generation.