State Failure Research Articles

EU’S SOUTHERN NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY TOWARDS LIBYA AND SYRIA

The EU is actively involved in the dynamics of the states in its immediate vicinity to make them more stable. This involvement requires a high financial effort. In this paper I will analyse how the European Union (EU) implemented and intends to continue the neighbourhood policy with two states that went through the “Arab Spring” and became conflict zones. For the states in question, namely Libya and Syria, EU provides humanitarian aid and wishes them to recover from their failed state. The main objectives pursued by the EU within the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) are stabilization of neighbouring countries, promotion of EU key interests and facilitation of regional cooperation. In addition to the neighbourhood policy instrument, between the EU and the two states there is a significant increase in trade relations from year to year. This increase in economic exchanges also leads to a deepening of bilateral relations. This rapprochement can transpose models of good governance from the EU to these failed states, and over time can create an environment conducive to state reconstruction, where the citizen is at the centre of attention and the rulers’ own interests are no longer at the forefront. The purpose of the paper is to analyse the EU southern neighbourhood policy, with an emphasis on Libya and Syria. The starting hypothesis of the research is that the EU’s ENP aid to Libya and Syria ensures minimal stability for the two countries and a better neighbourhood for it. As a working methodology, I will use the qualitative analysis of documentary materials.

State Failure and The Sunni-Shia Conflict in Sampang Madura

This paper attempts to explain the process of conflict reconciliation within the Sunni-Shia conflict in Sampang, Madura. The research tries to analyze the process and progress of the Sunni-Shia conflict through the discourse of state failure. It will not only figure out the discourse through political or security perspective, but also tries to view the failure and the weakness of the state from the conflict-transformation and social perspective. This research aims to look at how religious identity has been played within the process of conflict reconciliation and how the state failed to solve the Shia-Sunni conflict in Sampang. In doing so, the paper explains the history of Shia in Sampang Madura, the chronology of the conflict and its escalation, and the absence of the state within the long process of reconciliation.

The Decline of the Umayyad Caliphate in Andalus Based on Ibn Khaldun’s Theory

This inquiry examines the downfall of the Umayyad Caliphate in Cordoba, Andalus (Spain), in 1031 CE, which signaled the end of almost three centuries of Umayyad dominance in the region under Islamic governance. The primary objective of this study is to scrutinize the factors contributing to the demise of the Umayyad Caliphate in Andalus, drawing upon the insights presented by Ibn Khaldun. Employing a qualitative research approach, the study utilized content analysis methodology to examine pertinent documents and additional written sources. The findings of this research, as per Ibn Khaldun’s theories, identified critical elements that precipitated the collapse of the Umayyad government. These included a failed state, political disintegration, severe financial crises stemming from the erosion of social solidarity, a decline in the sense of belonging (‘asabiyyah), instances of injustice and tyranny, a culture of opulence, and weakened religious adherence. Ultimately, the populace of Andalus withdrew their support for the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to a diminishing sense of social solidarity. Consequently, the Islamic civilization in Andalus underwent a gradual decline, culminating in its destruction by external forces.

Optimization analysis of state equation and failure criterion for concrete slab subjected to impact loading

Concrete slabs are typically subjected to impact loading, and the selection of the equations of state and failure criteria has significant effects on the dynamic mechanical behavior of concrete. One of the most commonly adopted impact loading is projectile impact. In this study, the optimization analysis of the equation of state and failure criterion for rigid projectile penetration, which are often available for theoretical models, were analyzed using regression evaluation methods. Subsequently, based on the analysis results, a multi-phase model for the penetration of rigid projectiles into concrete was established which combined with the dynamic cavity expansion theory. Finally, the prediction results of the proposed model were compared with existing experimental data and prediction results of existing penetration models. The results showed that the prediction model has a wide range of applicability and high accuracy.

Usurping the Role of an Underperforming State: A Case of South Africa

South Africa, like many African states after independence, has begun its downward spiral in several areas, including development, lawlessness, poverty, and poor service delivery. These are the primary hallmarks of an underperforming state. Some critics have begun viewing South Africa as a failing state or even a failed state. It is the authors’ conviction that the downward spiral can be arrested if there is a will and provided that appropriate interventions are implemented timeously. This article conceptualises a sovereign state, a failed state, and looks at the symptoms of a failing state, which seem to be creeping into South Africa. Furthermore, the article considers the burden put on citizens by a failing state as they must take over the responsibilities of the state as individuals and the collective. Most importantly, the paper makes recommendations that may be considered when trying to arrest the failure of the South African state in performing its crucial functions.

South Africa's Persistent Social ills Post-1994 and the Deterioration of the African National Congress (ANC): Is the Country Heading towards a Failing State?

This article investigates the increasing and continuous social ills that millions of South African individuals have faced since the ushering of a democratic government in 1994. It claims that the African National Congress (ANC) is yearly losing its grip on its power to run the country and alter the current development hurdles. This is against growing dissatisfaction with the ruling party of poor service delivery, corruption, state capture, and maladministration, among other dynamics. Post-1994, the realities of changing society and putting in place the bold development aspirations of a newly democratic country put more spotlight on the institutions and fiscal arrangements that could, mindful of ecological constrictions and economic ambitions, deliver much-needed essential services to people experiencing poverty. However, lessons from this are that irrespective of some achievements; the country has continued to witness significant challenges, particularly the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty, and inequality in an era where the ANC continues to lose power and grip in many municipalities. However, it is argued in this article that the ANC might not necessarily lose control in the next decade, nor will South Africa become a failed state. Nevertheless, it will face the uncertainty of more fighting and losing more grip as parties such as the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) gain more political ground yearly. The article is based on a qualitative research approach through secondary data sources, including journal articles, books, chapters in books, credible newspapers, and online sources.

Dominating the Superpower: A Bounded Rationality Approach to Nuclear Proliferation and Inhibition in the U.S. / North Korea Dyad

Why was the United States, despite its overwhelming superiority in power, unable to prevent North Korea from developing nuclear weapons? Why did North Korea persist in its nuclear pursuit in the face of U.S. opposition? In this article, we represent nuclear proliferation and counter-proliferation as situations of subjective strategic interaction between states. We measure preferences over strategies and outcomes using operational codes of the leaders of each country, derived via linguistic analysis. Our results indicate that neither the U.S. nor North Korea accurately understood the other side’s preference ordering, and that their operational codes interacted in such a way as to produce an outcome favorable to North Korea – the weaker party - and unfavorable to the U.S. – the stronger. The wider contribution is to show that (mis)perceptions of the goals and resolve of the opponent play a crucial role in the success or failure of strong states to compel weak states and vice versa.

The Success of Public Private Partnerships with Transparency and Accountability Principles

Harsh debates on the restructuring of public administration and the failures of states have continued for decades, Public Private Partnership (PPP) suggests a different function to the state as an application of the "New Public Management" approach, for solving some of these debates. Although PPP can be briefly defined as the provision of public services by the private sector, its complex relationship structure and risks behind this definition do likely make the model unsuccessful. In pursuit of the best model, international organizations and mechanisms, including the OECD, the UN, and the European Commission, have attempted to apply some models of successful examples, procedures, and laws. Some studies learning from faulty designs and experiences have focused on what should not be. As a result, the critical success factors seem to be the most proper tool to improve the PPP method. This study focuses on providing support information for countries trying to design and develop a PPP model. Afterward, it deals with the performance-measured PPP applications in the world in the context of transparency and accountability and reveals the significance of the principles of transparency and accountability in the success of the PPP model.

“Здесь птицы не поют...” (российские антивоенные песни)

After 24 February 2022, anti-war songs emerged as a new phenomenon in Russian culture. They cover a variety of genres, from bardic song to rap, from travesty to tragedy. Songs containing clear anti-war stances reflect the shock of war, the tragic death of people, the destruction of culture and society in which the authors lived or with which they were spiritually connected before the attack on Ukraine, the end of an era in the existence of the Russian Federation. Anti-war songs mark a constantly expanding thematic field, and this article is only an early attempt to analyse and survey them. The presented text collection reveals the clear awareness among creative circles that after the war against Ukraine Russians will face the task of rebuilding their country on the wreckage of a failed state.

Connections / disconnections: on Alice Diop’s Nous

ABSTRACT This article considers how Alice Diop’s documentary Nous/We (2021) challenges the myopia of hegemonic colourblind constructions of France and its people. Its title both raises a question (who are we?) and implicitly asserts an inclusive answer. But the film is not a reductively integrationist project. Indeed, it challenges this central policy of the French state and stages an interrogation of contemporary France, where, as Trica Danielle Keaton et al have put it, ‘race does not officially reside, even as racism and discrimination are long-term residents’. The author examines how Nous maps out a discursive space between the poles of forced assimilation and ghettoisation (communautarisme) that acknowledges racialisation and the racial dimensions of exploited labour, urban planning and social housing, but also tracks some points of inter-ethnic connection. The article argues that the film is three things at once: a self-reflexive celebration of filmmaking as an act of creative geography that moves across time and space to forge connectivity as well as tracking disjunctions; a documentation of everyday life and social diversity, particularly among the frequently demonised or simply ignored Parisian banlieues; and an indictment of the failure of the French state to properly recognise and value this diversity.

Optimal Mission Abort Decisions for Multi-Component Systems Considering Multiple Abort Criteria

This paper studies the optimal mission abort decisions for safety-critical mission-based systems with multiple components. The considered system operates in a random shock environment and is required to accomplish a mission during a fixed mission period. If the failure risk of the system is very high, the main mission can be aborted to avoid higher failure cost. The main contribution of this study lies in the design and optimization of mission abort policies for multi-component systems with multiple abort criteria. Moreover, multi-level transitions are considered in this study to characterize the different shock-resistance abilities for components in different states. Mission abort decisions are determined based on the number of components in either defective or failed state. The problem is formulated in the framework of the finite Markov chain imbedding method. We use the Monte-Carlo simulation method to derive the mission reliability and system survivability. Numerical studies and sensitivity analysis are presented to validate the obtained result.

The afterlives of state failure: echoes and aftermaths of colonialism

This article offers a new perspective on the failed states agenda, and the reconfiguration of colonial discourse buttressing it, by theorising its afterlives. The concept of afterlives has mostly been discussed as a metaphor or in passing in the IR literature. Drawing from the post- and decolonial literature, we propose to define the concept simultaneously as echoes and aftermaths of the past. This conceptualisation of afterlives aims to contribute to the study of the persistence of colonial forms beyond notions of continuity and rupture. We develop the concept of afterlives through a discussion of the failed states agenda and its iterations. We discuss four specific iterations of the agenda: the genesis of the agenda in the decolonisation period; the consolidation of the agenda during the early 1990s; the crisis of the agenda and the rise of the resilience discussion; and finally the rise of the fragile city agenda as one of the afterlives of the failed states agenda. To illustrate our argument, we discuss two specific ‘fragments’ through which we can effectively grasp the echoes and aftermaths of coloniality: the pathologisation of fragile states and cities, operated through various twin figures (civilised/barbaric; strong/dysfunctional; resilient/vulnerable) and their practical repercussions; and the visualisation, mapping and colour-coding of fragile states and cities, exemplifying the durability and contradictions of the failed states agenda.

Abdullah HAMIDADDIN (Editor), The Huthi Movement in Yemen: Ideology, Ambition, and Security in the Arab Gulf (London, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2023)

Abdullah Hamidaddin edited a comprehensive study published by Bloomsbury in cooperation with King Faisal Research and Islamic Studies. The book provides outstanding research on the Huthi movement including sections on its ideology, belief system; and role in reconfiguring one of the oldest and strongest culture and history in the region. The current state of the Yemeni government, that is the divided and insecure rule of country since the Arab revolts in 2011 poses military and political threats to the Arab Gulf States and the Horn of Africa. Yemen hosts paramilitary groups like the Huthis and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula along with unorganized groups belonging to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as well as military groups with links to the Southern secessionists. Yemen is a failed state that poses serious insecurities for its citizens and for other states in the region. The underlining socio-economic problems of Yemen in terms of lack of economic activities, food insecurity, and the security of civilians are closely related with the ongoing proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran; the military intervention led by Saudi Arabia since 2015; the internal conflict among three major groups including Huthis, the Central government and the Southern secessionists. Amid all these overlapping elements of the conflict, the nature of the Huthi movement and how it has evolved to be major actor in Yemen require further attention.

Leon Trotsky and the political conundrum of international relations

In this article we identify the ways in which Leon Trotsky’s ideas constitute a powerful resource to understand the contemporary crisis of international relations and its historical roots in the 20th century. Trotsky’s concept of uneven and combined development has already been highlighted as a signal contribution by an established scholarship in and around the discipline of International Relations. While this is a welcome development, we contend that it has come at a significant cost, detaching Trotsky’s theoretical insights from his revolutionary politics. We employ a different mode of engagement with Trotsky’s ideas, focusing on the theory of Permanent Revolution as an expression of an original analysis of the dialectic between the national and the international. Far from being a theoretically detachable and politically erroneous appendage to the more fundamental and applicable concept of uneven and combined development, we argue that Permanent Revolution constitutes its necessary culmination, as well as Trotsky’s most significant contribution to classical Marxism. We then elucidate how, writing in the first half of the 20th century and applying his theory of Permanent Revolution, Trotsky was able to diagnose certain essential lines of political development – the rise and ongoing breakdown of American hegemony, the political degeneration and collapse of the Soviet Union, and the emergence and failure of the postcolonial independent nation states – tracing the long and crisis-ridden trajectory of international relations from the second half of the 20th century down to today.

The Moral Economy of Welfare: Bulgarian Roma Migrants Reclaiming Social Citizenship through Fraud

This paper explores the constitution of a moral economy of welfare through acts of benefit fraud. The structural conditions of contemporary labour, citizenship, and migration regimes in Europe exclude large shares of workers from access to social citizenship and place them in a position of undeserving trespassers of the social contract. Drawing on the case of Bulgarian Roma engaged in precarious labour and short-term intensive mobility between Bulgaria and the Netherlands, I show how labour conditions in both countries and the structures of the welfare regimes effectively exclude them from access to social citizenship and confine them to the realms of informal work, thus putting them in a position of differential inclusion. The benefit fraud in this context has multiple interpretations—ranging from crime through a survival strategy to a claim to social justice. By mobilizing the idea of the moral economy of welfare, I seek to explain how migrants justify their actions not as transgression, but as a claim to social citizenship and a critique of an unjust social and economic order. In a moral economy of welfare, the migrants see themselves as deserving state support both by virtue of being citizens and of being good workers. Being excluded from proper welfare support is interpreted as a failure of both states. In this context, the fraud is framed in moral terms as an act of citizenship aiming to restore justice.

System failure in the digital welfare state

System failure in the digital welfare state

Re‐tribalization in the 21st century, part 2

Part 2 of this article examines the resurgence of tribal identities in modern societies, a process termed re‐tribalization, as a response to the failures of the modern state. It challenges the linear progression of societal evolution, suggesting that declining modernity prompts a return to primordial, tribal values for security and identity. The authors critique the state's unmet promises, leading to a re‐embrace of tribal loyalty and community. They also discuss the role of media, politics, and AI in reinforcing tribal divisions, with AI potentially exacerbating societal cleavages. The article calls for an understanding of tribalism's role in society and advocates for the inclusion of the ‘Other’ to foster peaceful coexistence, setting the stage for their forthcoming book on inter‐community harmony.

Somaliland, an Exception to a State Failure

Somaliland, an Exception to a State Failure

The National Security Debacle: Escalating the Bald Conversations on Rural Banditry in Northern Nigeria

Scholarly preoccupation with socio-political development in Nigeria appeared to have dwelt more on the fulfillment of great expectations and much less on the uncertainties of social change brought about by democratization in Africa. Thus, when Huntington reflected on the possibility of reversal following the onset of ‘Third wave’ in Africa, the emphasis on social conflict is very instructive in the democratization process of many states in Africa. Whereas some democracies have managed to consolidate or are still democratizing, a few others have relapsed into reverse wave or at best, are caught up in what Thomas Carothers described as “The gray zone”. In Nigeria for example, after almost half a century of democratization, there is rising wave of atavistic consciousness or what Engels described as the “Lowest instinct or passion in man”, where the political space is characterized by rampaging non-state actors. In specific terms, the new wave of dramatic reverses relates to terrorist attacks, ethnic violence, armed banditry, farmers-herders imbroglio, cattle rustling, kidnapping for ransom, and unknown gunmen. In the circumstance, marauders and brigands now reign supreme over what is described as ungoverned space, prompting a convergence of expert opinions that Nigeria is fast degenerating unto a failed state. Among the various descriptions of criminal enterprises in Nigeria, there is scholarly preoccupation with the nuances and pattern of armed banditry. This paper seeks to deepen this preoccupation by scoping the infamy of rural banditry in northern Nigeria. It argues that, beyond the much-touted ethno-religious sentiment and convoluted diversity, the worsening human condition occasioned by the increasing parlous governance situation in the country, are more persuasive in explaining the dramatic wave of criminal enterprises. The theoretical perspective of Cohen and Felson which treat crime as the consequence of the convergence of a motivated offender, a vulnerable target and the absence of capable guardian, comes close to a real-life connotation of rural banditry in northern Nigeria. The paper recommends among others, the urgent need to ups the quality of good governance in order to address the human condition, and that a collaboration among the leadership strata in the wider society must demonstrate sufficient commitment to compliment government efforts in a genuine governance project that seeks to emancipate Nigeria from her current sorry state.

The Failed States of America?

The Failed States of America?