Economic Development Aid and International Political Stability

Economic difficulties within states tend to create domestic political instability which, in turn, tends to produce international disturbances that may lead to war. The widespread acceptance of this proposition has led to the view that international economic organisations, by facilitating national economic development, can promote national political stability and thereby enhance the prospects for world peace. The purpose of this paper is to examine the putative nexus between international programmes designed to promote economic development within national states and the stability of the international system. Does international assistance in economic development tend to promote world peace? If so, how may it conduce to that result?