This document analyzes and compares the regional stability of Zimbabwe and Laos based on 5 criteria: environmental damage, climate change, hostile neighbors, friendly trade partners, and society's response to environmental problems. It finds that both Zimbabwe and Laos face significant environmental issues due to deforestation, but that Zimbabwe's problems are more severe with a rating of 8 out of 10, while Laos rates a 6. In terms of society's response, Zimbabwe rates a 7 as it is taking legislative action, while Laos rates a 6 as it has been more proactive in restricting activities causing damage. Both regions face challenges with neighbors due to colonialism and war, but are taking steps to improve relations. Laos has more friendly trade

1. Regional Stability
Analysis
Zimbabwe and Southeast Asia

2. Background
In this presentation, the backgrounds of
Laos and Zimbabwe, along with the issues
that they face, will be explored and
compared.

3. Five -Point Analysis
Environmental Damage
Climate Change
Hostile Neighbors
Friendly Trade Partners
Society’s Response to Environmental
Problems

4. Environmental Damage
This criterion is based on the level of
environmental decay caused by human
activity such as dumping, waste disposal,
and industrialization.

5. Climate Change
Climate Change is much like Environmental
Damage. However, CLimate Change refers to
more long-term and indirect effects that
Environmental Damage has on climate.

6. Hostile Neighbors
This criterion refers to a region’s
surrounding areas and their level of
hostility towards other societies.

7. Friendly Trade Partners
This area of judgement is based upon a
region’s ability to stimulate its economy
through the exchange of goods and services
with other regions.

8. Society’s Response to
Environmental Problems
As the title suggests, this criterion is
focused on a region’s society, and their
level of responsibility and responsiveness
when in comes to environmental damage.

9. The regions
The regions that will be focused on in this
presentation will be Zimbabwe (South
Africa) and Laos (Southeast Asia).

10. Common Ground:
Environment
Both Zimbabwe and Laos have serious
problems with deforestation.
Zimbabwe’s agricultural land has been all
but completely eroded.
Before Zimbabwe achieved independence,
large portions of the population were
forced to depend on smaller pieces, causing
almost irreparable damage to the land.

11. Environment cont’d
(Zimbabwe)
Air- Zimbabwe’s air is incredibly polluted
because industrialization and carbon
emissions from vehicles. And
Industry- intense water pollution in
Zimbabwe is the result of mining and
fertilizers. Zimbabwe also produces an
estimated 0.5 millions tons of solid waste
per year. The region’s food has the world’s
highest concentration of insecticide.

12. Environment cont’d
(Laos)
Forest- Lao forests have been exploited
over the years because of the valuable
wood that they provide. The forests were
also exploited for many other resources
(animals, medicine etc.)
in the 1980s deforestation caused the
destruction of 160,000 hectares of forest
land- resulting in irreparable damage to
Laos’ ecosystem.

13. Environmental Damage
Rating: Zimbabwe & Laos
Zimbabwe: 8
Laos: 6

14. Climate Change Rating:
Zimbabwe & Laos
Zimbabwe: 8 (little climate recovery is in
place, industrialization and emissions
continue)
Laos: 7 (a lot of damage that may be
permanent, but recovery is underway)

15. Society’s Response
Recently, Laos’ government has been more
responsible about preserving forest land
and protecting their endangered animals.
Zimbabwe has launched aggressive
strategies concerning environmental
protection- including shooting poachers on
sight.

16. Society’s Response
Rating: Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe- This region’s environment has
been severely damaged. But, recovery is
possible- with more environmental
protection being legislated in Zimbabwe, the
problems could be solved eventually.
Rating:7

17. Society’s Response
Rating: Zimbabwe
Laos is seems more active than Zimbabwe,
restricting deforestation as early as the
late 1980s. Laos’ environmental problems
are not as severe or as desperate as
Zimbabwe’s.
Rating: 6

18. Hostile Neighbors:
Zimbabwe
Because of past colonialism, Zimbabwe has a
lot of friction with neighboring countries
such as Rhodesia, Nyasaland.

19. Hostile Neighbors:
Laos
Laos has experienced some sort of conflict
with almost every developed nation near
Southeast Asia. Laos was briefly occupied
by Japan in WWII, was dragged into the
Vietnam war- resulting in a bombing from
the US, and exploitation of land by North-
Vietnam.

20. Hostile Neighbors
Zimbabwe has few friendly neighbors, but
media coverage regarding the region’s
problems seems to be improving- alleviating
problems caused by friction with local
countries- Rating: 6
Laos has bad connections with most
developed nations surrounding it, but the
government seems do be doing things to
help with foreign relations- Rating 5

21. Friendly Trade Partners
Laos trades with uses ASEAN to trade with
Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand. Laos
exports coffee, electricity, tin, copper, and
wood products. Laos should have little
problem with stimulating their economy.
Rating- 7

22. Friendly Trade Partners
Zimbabwe exports to all of South Africa and
The Congo. Their chief exports are
platinum, tobacco, cotton, and textiles.