Robert J. Muscat is a development economist with extensive overseas experience. He served with the US Agency for International Development, the World Bank and several UN agencies, and as a resident economic adviser to the governments of Thailand and Malaysia. He has published on many subjects, including problems of conflict in developing countries. Muscat is a board member of the NGO Global Peace Services, devoted to nonviolent conflict resolution. He is now an independent researcher, living in Sarasota, Florida, USA.