Publications

The failed state phenomenon is not new to the Arab world, having existed there well before the current regional upheaval. However, since the upheaval, states that were already in various stages of failure have declined further. Furthermore, the turmoil has challenged the geopolitical logic that long structured the Arab world, namely, states defined according to the territorial nation-state model, with clear borders and an authoritative central government. The weakness of the central governments has led to the expansion of ungoverned peripheries and the blurring of borders, which in turn has enabled jihadist organizations and foreign elements to penetrate state territory and create military and political bases of operation, thereby challenging central governments and systematically undermining state structures. The failed states are thus not simply a local problem, but constitute a global challenge due to the instability they export to other areas and the regional and international confrontations they invite.

In recent decades, the West has tried to deal with the failed state phenomenon by means of humanitarian intervention and reconstruction missions, but in most cases these efforts have failed. The international community has found it difficult to reach a consensus regarding determined intervention that will be based on a broad coalition and have the support of the superpowers and the UN Security Council. The result is war and human tragedy on a scale not seen in the Middle East for centuries.