This book offers a new perspective in studying contemporary development. Part I explores how the ending of the cold war, shifting relations among capitalist powers, changing patterns of finance, and new ideological currents have altered development in four major third-world regions. Part II suggests how development options were molded by the dominant international power in each region: the United States in Latin America, Japan in East and Southeast Asia, and Europe with the international financial institutions in Africa. Part III provides a conceptual framework for analyzing regional performance.