King compares the world to a “world house,” a “worldwide neighborhood” where different peoples must live together in peace. African Americans, while struggling for equality at home, must not ignore international issues. Equality cannot be achieved in a world threatened by poverty and war.

King anticipates that scientific and technological developments will continue in the future. Along with the technological revolutions, King stresses that the world has also witnessed an international freedom revolution. He notes that while the civil rights movement is an “American phenomenon,” it is part of an international phenomenon in which oppressed people around the world have demanded freedom. King argues that people must stay alert in times of social change, as the world demands “worldwide brotherhood.”

King explains that moral progress must accompany scientific progress. The predicament of the modern world, in his view, is that despite its material prosperity, it experiences spiritual decline. King finds Western civilization vulnerable and warns that without a moral and spiritual “reawakening”, destruction is imminent.

King describes racism as a worldwide phenomenon, referring specifically to the institutionalized racism in South Africa. He criticizes the United States and Great Britain for their support of a racist government and emphasizes that white supremacy through imperialism oppresses people of color worldwide.