One of the things that really irks me is the tendency to believe that poverty causes violence. People will point to third world nations and demand that their violence is an end result of their poverty.
I don't buy that. Not for a second. I believe that the violence is the disease, and poverty the symptom, not the other way around. These nations are by and large impoverished because they embrace violence as a culture. This is a more obvious conclusion, because if you think about it, in a violent culture, progress cannot thrive. Those who would sabotage progress will simply destroy what's created, and it becomes pointless to try to advance because you will spend more money rebuilding than you spent building in the first place.
As I get older (and hopefully wiser), I have come to believe that perceptions towards success affect success. Now, I'm not a big fan of the whole "name it, claim it" ideology, but there's a little bit of truth to it. Believing that success is an attainable goal is the first logical step in attaining it. I believe, and results seem to bear me out, that the main difference between those who succeed and those who do not is that those who do not succeed perceive success as an accident, as something that happens by chance, lick, or "connections", while those who do succeed see it as the result of hard work, dedication and planning. Because of these differences in perception, those who see success as something that just happens often do not spend their money wisely, don't set out career plans, and don't embark on a path to success. Because they don't even make a considerable effort, their perception becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.
A serious plan for rebuilding impoverished nations would need to begin with changing their mindset. That is not our job to do, nor is it even possible. The impetus for rebuilding has to come from within.
As long as the attitude is held that these nations are impoverished because of circumstances beyond their control, prosperity will always be beyond their reach. When they realize that they are responsible for improving the prosperity of their nations, they will have a legitimate chance of improving things. But as long as they embrace a culture of violence and destruction, they don't have a chance.