1. An optimization system comprising: a computer system that runs a computer program; and an optimization program that receives an optimization problem; parameterizes the optimization problem using a continuous iteration parameter to produce a continualized optimization problem; employs a method for solving the continualized optimization problem that provides a trajectory towards an optimum for the optimization problem; formulates a number of parameters of the optimization problem as control variables to provide an iterative method for computing the control variables to steer the trajectory within a specified volume that includes an optimal trajectory, the trajectory therefore a near-optimal trajectory; and iteratively computes a near-optimal trajectory to obtain a solution within a specified interval that includes the optimum in the large, the solution therefore a near-optimal solution.