ABSTRACT
As we saw in chapter 12, the less-developed countries (LDCs), though beset by a host of challenges, are emerging as key actors in the global economy. Only now are serious efforts underway to address poverty, environmental degradation, and other woes in the LDCs, but progress is slowly being made. Although the economic output of the developing world as a whole (including China, India, and the rapidly growing countries of Southeast Asia) accounted for over half the global total in 2005,2 these countries still account for most of the global poor. And looming above efforts to overcome global poverty is the need for honest and energetic leadership in many LDCs. As long as these countries are governed by corrupt leaders and lack good governance, they will be unable to overcome the poverty and the other threats to human security that afflict them.
