One billion people live in countries where conflict has
devastated health, education, economic systems, and lives.
Citizens of "fragile states" need rapid and effective help. But
too often international aid produces only short-term gains that
do not last, is not responsive to local conditions, or is slow
in arriving. For more information on these challenges, read
"Fragile States: 'Toughest Development Challenge of Our Era.'
Development experts believe longer-term success hinges on
helping weak governments build the capacity to provide critical
services and govern effectively. Alastair McKechnie, Director of
the World Bank's Fragile and Conflict-Affected Countries Group
and former Country Director in Afghanistan, answers your
questions on new efforts to help countries break out of a cycle
of ineffective government, poverty and conflict. Can
globalisation help those backward countries? As we can see, most
of the third world countries that suffer a lot merely try to
struggle to imporve to survive on thier own wh