ABSTRACT
Development represents one of the principal challenges of twenty-first-century international relations. Chronic poverty, malnutrition, anddisease characterize most of the developing world and are creeping into segments of the developed world. Economic stagnation and rampant inflation cripple economies, causing high levels of debt, unemployment, and underemployment. The economic disparities between rich and poor continue to widen at an accelerated pace. The disparities between rich and poor are contributory causes of war both within and between nations. In the view of many, development is the best strategy for avoiding violent conflict and averting political upheaval in the future. Unfortunately, no consensus exists as to the causes of poverty or the meaning of development. As a result, development issues remain controversial in international forums.
