Commenting on the trends toward the interlocking of emerging information societies and the growing interdependence of countries, this paper suggests the role that "informatics" (the rational and systematic use of information for planning and decision making) may play in the transition of societies into the information age. Two paradoxes challenging the builders of information societies are identified: countries must mold their own particular social situations in a context of wide international commitments, and countries involved in international cooperation agreements must also maintain their diversity. Suggestions for meeting the challenge include changing the basis for measuring the development of emerging countries from gross national product, literacy, or personal income criteria to how well the countries manage and apply their information sources and developing systems of national information resource management. The role of information in emerging information societies is outlined, including the results of the Intergovernmental Conference on Strategies and Policies for Informatics (SPIN) and an Intergovernmental Bureau for Informatics (IBI) survey on international informatics. The role of IBI is defined, and the paper concludes with a call for collaboration between IBI and the International Institute of Communications. A table of characteristics of ten newly industrialized countries is appended. (AEA)