While Americans and other Westerners often find the politics of developing areas (Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East) difficult to comprehend, developments in those regions are an inescapable part of our lives. The recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Islamic fundamentalism and the war on terrorism, genocidal activity in Sudan, rapid economic growth in China and India, and emigration from the developing world are but a few of the events which draw our attention. The purpose of this book is to better understand the dynamics and challenges of political and socioeconomic changes in these developing nations, which account for most of the world's population.