Technological apartheid is a term that refers to the denial of useful modern technologies to Third World

Third World

The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...

 or Developing nations. The term is based upon the South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

n expression Apartheid, which refers to the practice of keeping certain populations in a separate, lower-class status. It has been used to describe situations that are unintended, such as the absence of computers and Information technology

Information technology

Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...

 in the favela

Favela

A favela is the generally used term for a shanty town in Brazil. In the late 18th century, the first settlements were called bairros africanos . This was the place where former slaves with no land ownership and no options for work lived. Over the years, many freed black slaves moved in...

s of Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 or other impoverished areas.http://proxied.changemakers.net/journal/00may/hart.cfmhttp://www.son.jhmi.edu/jhnmagazine/fall2006/pages/otp9_techapartheid.htm The term also applies to the deliberate denial of technology for geopolitical

Geopolitics

Geopolitics, from Greek Γη and Πολιτική in broad terms, is a theory that describes the relation between politics and territory whether on local or international scale....

 or neocolonialist

Neocolonialism

Neocolonialism is the practice of using capitalism, globalization, and cultural forces to control a country in lieu of direct military or political control...

 reasons. The government of Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

 has characterized the efforts by Western governments to deny nuclear

Nuclear power

Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...

 technology to Iran as Technological Apartheid.http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=14103§ionid=351020101http://www.iranatom.ru/news/english/version1/1/a649.htm

Some of the technologies in question are dual-use technologies, advanced technologies which can have both civilian and military applications.http://www.iranatom.ru/news/english/version1/1/a649.htm Some commentators allege that the issue of dual-use technologies is a red herring

Ignoratio elenchi

Ignoratio elenchi is the informal fallacy of presenting an argument that may in itself be valid, but does not address the issue in question...

, and that some advanced-sector nations, who wish to keep the Third World nations as poor Client state

Client state

Client state is one of several terms used to describe the economic, political and/or military subordination of one state to a more powerful state in international affairs...

s, withhold technologies that are essential for economic development

Economic development

Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...

, using the pretext that they will be used for military purposes.http://southmovement.alphalink.com.au/commentaries/partners.htmhttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1802791.cms

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