I would argue that we are very much moving towards becoming a world civilization.  I believe that the issues that are not yet resolved will generally be resolved in the same direction that we have been going.  This will leave countries like The Gambia with no choice but to become more deeply involved in the world economy.  However, this is only an opinion.  There is no way to know for sure what will happen.

I would argue that the world is moving inexorably toward a world economy based largely on capitalism.  There was a time when it seemed that communism might represent another track towards modernization, but this no longer looks to be true.  Today, no communist country is thriving and capitalism is dominating the world.  China is becoming more of an economic power, but it is doing so by essentially embracing capitalism while remaining communist in name only.

This means that any issues that we still have will be resolved in favor of more capitalism.  Countries that feel that global capitalism is hurting them will not really have any recourse other than to do the best that they can.  The Gambia is one such country.  If the country is to become prosperous, it will have to find a way to grow within the context of a global economy.  It will have to create the sort of infrastructure and institutions that allow it to attract international businesses.  If it does not, it will remain as an economic backwater as the rest of the world moves towards greater economic integration and globalization.