Measuring the Collapse of Traditional States
By Douglas Farah
The latest World Bank study on failed and failing states (now called "fragile states") shows just how rapidly the global situation is deteriorating. As reported in the Washington Post by Karen DeYoung, the number of states that could provide logistical bases and ungoverned spaces for terrorists, transnational criminal organizations and other armed non-state groups has jumped from 17 in 2003 to 26 this year.
The growth of "black holes" and stateless regions is even more alarming when compared to a similar study done by the Bank in 1996, when only 11 states fell into the category of failed states.
Hurdles facing these countries include "weak security, fractured societal relations, corruption, breakdown in the rule of law, lack of mechanisms for generating legitimate power and authority" and limited investment resources to meet basic needs, the report said.
This, in a uni-polar world where the Islamists are seeking to exploit the lack of government control, alliances with transnational criminal groups and rear guard areas to train and begin the caliphate, is extremely dangerous. My full blog is here.
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