Failed States   

UN secretary general Kofi Annan has warned that ignoring failed states creates problems that sometimes come back to bite us.

French president Chirac has also spoken of the treat that failed states carry for the world’s equilibrium.

It is generally said that failed states are increasingly trapped in a downward cycle of poverty and violence.

These states lack an effective judiciary system to safeguard the rights of foreign and domestic private property, or are unable to fulfill international obligations.

However failed states are not always weak states. They are sometimes strong states strong failed states are states that posses powerful military police power for advancing the narrow economic interests of a small class of citizens only.

In fact a collapsed state is a failed state in its advance stage. It is identifiable by three features accordingly to neo-imperialists:

1] Its colonial legacy and in effective post colonial state building.

2] Second feature of a collapsed state is the withdrawal of superpower protection/ sponsorship.

3] The third feature is the impact on it from neo-liberal globalization. 
 

Failed state is state-

1] When a government has lost control of its territory or of the monopoly on the legitimate use of force.

2] When a state lacks the authority to make collective decisions or the capacity to deliver public services.

3] Where the populate may rely entirely on the black market, fail to pay taxes or engage in large scale civil disobedience.

4] Where there is outside intervention and presence of foreign military forces.

5] Where there is restriction on its sovereignty, such as political or economic sanctions. 
 

World Bank has identified that about 30 low income countries are at serious risk of state failure.

Britain’s department for international development has named 46 states. Well a report by CIA has put the number of failing states at about 20.

We should also add that about 2 billion people live in countries that are in danger of collapse.

Weak states are most prevalent in Africa but they also appear in Asia, Eastern Europe Latin America, and the Middle East.

Following are the clearest early warning signs of a failing state-

1] Uneven development

2] Inequality within state

3] Poverty

4] Criminalization or delegitimization of the state.

5] Corruption

6] Internally displaced population

7] Environmental degradation

8] Human rights violations. 

Dear Student, this text is based on the class lectures of Professor S Pandit, Department of Politics & Public Administration, University of Pune. References can be found on the official site of Pune University, Department of Politics & Public Administration, subject of Globalization & State, Syllabus 2004-2009. This note prepared by Ahmad Reza Taheri (2004-2006). This note needs edition.