This work offers an exploration of the multifaceted security problems facing the Third World in the aftermath of the Cold War. Ayoob adresses what he perceives as the major underlying cause of conflict and insecurity in the Third World - the early stage of state making at which postcolonial states find themselves - drawing comparisons with the West European experience. He argues that this approach provides richer comparative data and less ephemeral conclusions than those that adopt developemnt of dependency as their basic organising concepts. Subsequent chapters analyse the dynamics of interstate conflict in the Third world, the role of Third World countries in the international system, and, especially, the critical impact of the end of the Cold War and the Third World security problematic. Ayoob concludes with a set of explanations intended to help students, scholars, and policymakers decipher the continuing profusion of conflicts in the Third World and the trends and problems that will likely dominate well into the 21st century.