The foreign policy framework proposed here assumes that of the world's 140 developing states, there is a group of pivotal states whose futures are poised at critical turning points, and whose fates will strongly affect regional and even global security. These nine states - Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa, Brazil, Algeria, and Mexico - are the ones upon which the United States should focus its scarce foreign policy resources.

Events of the past year in Indonesia, India, and Pakistan have already affirmed the wisdom of this policy. In a series of cogent, original case studies, area experts explore the pivotal states strategy for each of the nine states.