To war against poverty.

In the wake of 11 September, Western governments pledged that the war against terrorism would be accompanied by a war against the poverty which kills millions of people in developing nations every year.

A year on, and after the Bali bombing, these pledges have largely yet to be fulfilled.

Nothing can justify terrorism. But it feeds on the divisions of a world where everything is stacked in favour of the rich, where the appalling death of a Western teenager in an Indonesian bar weighs more heavily than the death of an African toddler in a village that lacks the most basic amenities. The undiplomatic boos and barracking which greeted American and British leaders at the Johannesburg Summit in September demonstrated how deeply these divisions are felt not just on the streets, but in the corridors of power.

By the time this issue appears, the war against terrorism may once again have moved from rhetoric to bombing. Readers may disagree about the necessity for military action: few will welcome it. But one thing is sure, even if the West wipes al Qa'ida and its satellites out of existence, new threats will emerge while world poverty continues. Dragons' teeth grow well in the fertile field of injustice and powerlessness.

At this season, when the religious festivals and fasts of Christmas, Ramadan, Divali and Hanukkah remind so many of the spiritual dimension, the imperative to combat world poverty is not only pragmatic. Fundamental to these faiths is the belief that all human beings are brothers and sisters, charged by a loving God to take care of each other. Who is my neighbour, in an interconnected world?

In this issue we meet people who are working for peace, justice and change in different parts of the world and we look at some of the challenges that must be faced if the war against poverty is to be won.