Comparing two entirely different "worlds"

First, I think the Economist article does a brilliant job of being pretty fair and writing about all of the comparisons that are not one-sided (unlike ones we are used to). Specifically, the article references literacy tests in comparison to income and how Arab literacy is either equivalent or greater than those with equal income than most other countries with similar income. Interesting! Statistics about poverty in these Arab nations, lack of certain living conditions, etc, are definitely overplayed while statistics about things that are important (the improvements they've made, what they are actually doing literacy wise, etc) are not said.

I think what is especially interesting is the fact that a world-class infrastructure, 20 years on average life, and a tremendous increase in literacy was accomplished by the Gulf states. But the cost is rather pricey at $2 trillion dollars, don't you think?

How can we sit back and say "oh they are doing so terribly/not as well as us" when it takes $2 trillion to fix it? Let's be honest, our entire nation is an upheaval at billions of dollars, let alone trillions. So. What point am I trying to make? Globalization is key! Ultimately, the only way we can ever hope to improve more nations living conditions (and ultimately our relations with them and their relations with others) is through globalizing how we think and act. It has to be less of an elitist western attitude looking down on others, and more of a "we're in this together" kind of attitude, because all of us really are living on this same planet, at the same time.

Hint: we're in this together!

(also, if anyone cares, this is something that makes sense to me.)