Published on The National Interest (https://nationalinterest.org) Home > The Political Roots of Poverty: The Economic Logic of Autocracy June 1, 2002 Topic: Economics, Autocracy, Economic Development, Foreign Aid, Failed States, Terrorism, Security, Society Tags: Academia, Business, Corruption, Marshall Plan, Poverty, Heads Of State, Socioeconomics, Sociology The Political Roots of Poverty: The Economic Logic of Autocracy Mini Teaser: Foreign aid misapplied can lengthen the tenure of bad governments. A guide to understanding and engaging difficult development partners. by Author(s): Bruce Bueno de MesquitaHilton L. Root The events of September 11, 2001 have led, among many other things, to the revival of an old debate about the relationship between poverty and political extremism. To get at the root of apocalyptic terrorism, many new initiatives to reduce global poverty have been proposed. British International Development Secretary Clare Short advocates a massive international effort to stop poor countries from