evant to broader international concerns about cooperation for development. It is on these issues that we will focus this commentary and later reflections.

The report's rationale for partnerships for global development is succinctly stated: “The most fundamental principle of cooperation for development is to foster the balanced development of the public, private, and independent sectors, pluralism within these sectors, and creative interaction among them.”

A central part of the report's analysis is its depiction of the ways in which patterns of development have been shifting away from bilateral and multilateral modes of development assistance that focus on yesterday's patterns whose relevance is diminished. Striking changes have been taking place in the global development environment, particularly in the increasing diversity among developing countries and the range of their needs as they move ahead in their development trajectories. Thus, a fully fresh conceptualization of development is requiredin objectives, components, participants, processes, and context, whether those are local, national, or global.

In keeping with its broad-spectrum view of diversity, the report urges the involvement of developing countries at all levelsadvanced, middle-tier, and poorestconsistent with the view that countries at different levels need different approaches that are tailored to the unique characteristics of each and encompassing the public, private, and independent sectors functioning interactively. The report underscores the value of science and technology as contributors to those sectors: science and technology are crucial enabling tools in a responsive marketplace and indispensable to a healthy independent sector.

The report confirms the strategic importance of a vigorous U.S. response to the challenges of underdevelopment. The social, economic, and humanitarian benefits to the United States are great; the cost of not addressing them could be tragically high.