Failed State
A failed state, often referred to as a fragile state, is a political entity that has experienced a breakdown of governance, leading to severe instability characterized by conflict, poverty, and corruption. Such states typically have lost the ability to provide basic services and security to their citizens, resulting in a power vacuum often filled by rival factions through military means. While these states may retain their external borders, internal divisions can create regions controlled by different groups, some of which may achieve a semblance of stability amid the chaos.
The concept of a failed state is complex and varies based on historical, political, and demographic factors. Many failed states struggle with extreme poverty, lack of basic infrastructure, and environmental challenges, which can be exacerbated by natural disasters. The citizens in these states often have limited political power and face strict controls from governing factions that undermine fundamental rights. As a result, many are coerced into joining militias or engaging in illicit activities for survival. International efforts to address the challenges of failed states often involve humanitarian aid and attempts at rebuilding governance, but these efforts can be complicated by ongoing conflict and the presence of extremist groups.
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Failed State
A failed state, or fragile state, is a political unit that once had a stable government that provided basic services and security to its citizens but then entered a period marked by devastating conflict, extreme poverty, overwhelming political corruption, and/or unlivable environmental conditions. Often, a group takes hold of a failed state’s government through military means, staving off rivals to fill in a power vacuum. The nominal leadership of a failed state frequently uses its power to combat rival factions, implement extreme religious law, or protect and advance illicit activities (such as drug production or piracy). Failed states frequently retain their external borders, but within those borders are regions that may be dominated by a particular faction, effectively carving the state into disparate subunits, with some areas even attaining relative stability and security—a kind of de facto independence.
While the precise definition of a "failed state" remains subject to scholarly debate and thus there is no definitive count of how many failed states there are, the Fragile States Index (formerly the Failed States Index) provides risk analysis based on indicators of disunity, economic weakness, political problems, and social factors such as demographic pressures, displacement, and foreign intervention. In the organization's 2023 report, it had one country in its “Very High Alert” category: Somalia. Eleven were listed as “High Alert”—Myanmar, Ethiopia, Haiti, Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Yemen—and eighteeen others were classified as “Alert.”
Typical Structure
Failed states vary in appearance based on a number of factors. One such factor is the type of government that existed prior to the state’s collapse. For example, a failed state might have originally existed as a parliamentary democracy, with an active legislature and executive system that developed a functioning legal code and administered to the needs of the people. However, that state may not have adequately addressed the needs of certain groups, fostering a violent backlash and hastening the country’s destabilization. An ineffectual legislature might have been dissolved by the executive (a prime minister or president), and in the absence of leadership, the government as a whole ceased to operate effectively.
Another major factor is demographics. Many states are comprised of two or more distinct ethnic, social, or religious groups. When the ruling party fails to effectively govern and/or serve the interests of a certain segment of the population, it may be ousted or simply ignored by the marginalized faction within the state. This has been the case in places like Syria. If the government falls, it creates a power vacuum that rival groups compete to fill. If one faction gains power, it must remain in a constant state of vigilance against its rivals, focusing more on keeping enemies in check than on rebuilding crippled government infrastructure. Some also seek to create theocracies based on extreme interpretations of a particular religious doctrine, as in Afghanistan. Frequently, these regimes are themselves ousted by rivals within a few years, leaving no lasting government and keeping the state in chaos.
Failed states are also characterized by extreme poverty and a lack of modern technology. Potable water, electricity, food, and medicine are scarce among average citizens. In some cases, these conditions are worsened by natural events. Haiti, for example, was a failed state for many years before the devastating 2010 earthquake that razed the capital city of Port-au-Prince, deepening the country’s poverty and instability. Droughts and extreme weather events related to climate change have displaced people, damaged infrastructure, and worsened hunger and economic conditions in fragile states across central Africa as well. Poor management, barriers to coordination, slowly and unevenly distributed foreign aid, and limited access to relief and recovery aid can further exacerbate living conditions in a failed state after a disaster.
Most failed states’ conditions are also worsened by the presence of foreigners. Because their governments either cannot or will not repel terrorists, for example, failed states may become havens for international terrorism. Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq are all examples of states that failed, enabling terrorist organizations to set up camp within their borders. As such groups pose a threat to other nations, those nations often send troops and weapons into the failed states to engage the terrorists. International organizations such as NATO, the United Nations, and the African Union have all entered failed states to both combat terrorists and help rebuild government.
Role of the Citizen
Citizens of a failed state have very little say in the direction of their country. In most cases, when a faction assumes control over the government, it installs strict controls that limit the rights of citizens, particularly such rights as freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion. Some regimes allow for “democratic” elections, but a continued lack of infrastructure and widespread corruption often negates the legitimacy of these elections.
Citizens of failed states are often called upon by the ruling regime (or a regional faction) to serve in its militia, helping it combat other factions within the state. In fact, many militias within failed states are composed of people who were forced to join (under penalty of death) at a young age. Those who do not join militias are often drawn into criminal activity, such as piracy and the drug trade.
Some citizens make a difference by joining interest groups. Many citizens achieve a limited amount of success sharing information about women’s rights, HIV/AIDS and other issues. In some situations, these groups gain international assistance from organizations that could not work with the failed government.
Bibliography
Azour, Jihad, and Abebe Aemro Selassie. “Africa’s Fragile States Are Greatest Climate Change Casualties.” IMF Blog, 30 Aug. 2023, www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2023/08/30/africas-fragile-states-are-greatest-climate-change-casualties. Accessed 19 July 2024.
Bressan, Sarah. “What’s Left of the Failed States Debate? Putting Five Hypotheses to the Test.” Global Public Policy Institute, 13 May 2020, gppi.net/2020/05/13/whats-left-of-the-failed-states-debate. Accessed 19 July 2024.
“Failed States: Fixing a Broken World.” The Economist, 29 Jan. 2009, pp. 65–67.
“Failed States.” Global Policy Forum, Global Policy Forum, 2013, archive.globalpolicy.org/nations-a-states/failed-states.html. Accessed 19 July 2024.
Fragile States Index, The Fund for Peace, fragilestatesindex.org. Accessed 19 July 2024.
Stanhope, Grace. “Post-Disaster Aid in Developing and Fragile States” Lowy Institute, 22 Sept. 2023, www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/post-disaster-aid-developing-fragile-states. Accessed 19 July 2024.
Thürer, Daniel. “The ‘Failed State’ and International Law.” International Review of the Red Cross, vol. 81, no. 836, 31 Dec. 1999, pp. 731–61. International Review of the Red Cross, international-review.icrc.org/sites/default/files/S1560775500103694a.pdf. Accessed 19 July 2024.