Since 1990, more than 10 million people have been killed in the civil wars of failed states, and hundreds of millions more have been deprived of fundamental rights. The threat of terrorism has only heightened the problem posed by failed states. When States Fail is the first book to examine how and why states decay and what, if anything, can be done to prevent them from collapsing. It defines and categorizes strong, weak, failing, and collapsed nation-states according to political, social, and economic criteria. And it offers a comprehensive recipe for their reconstruction. The book comprises fourteen essays by leading scholars and practitioners who help structure this disparate field of research, provide useful empirical descriptions, and offer policy recommendations. Robert Rotberg's substantial opening chapter sets out a theory and taxonomy of state failure. It is followed by two sets of chapters, the first on the nature and correlates of failure, the second on methods of preventing state failure and reconstructing those states that do fail.
Economic jump-starting, legal refurbishing, elections, the demobilizing of ex-combatants, and civil society are among the many topics discussed. All of the essays are previously unpublished. In addition to Rotberg, the contributors include David Carment, Christopher Clapham, Nat J. Colletta, Jeffrey Herbst, Nelson Kasfir, Michael T. Klare, Markus Kostner, Terrence Lyons, Jens Meierhenrich, Daniel N. Posner, Susan Rose-Ackerman, Donald R. Snodgrass, Nicolas van de Walle, Jennifer A. Widner, and Ingo Wiederhofer.
Edited by:
Robert I. Rotberg
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 235mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 21mm
Weight: 482g
ISBN: 9780691116723
ISBN 10: 0691116725
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 14 December 2003
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
,
Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
List of Maps vii Preface ix One The Failure and Collapse of Nation-States: Breakdown, Prevention, and Repair by Robert I. Rotberg 1 PART ONE: THE CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF FAILURE 51 Two Domestic Anarchy, Security Dilemmas, and Violent Predation: Causes of Failure by Nelson Kasfir 53 Three The Global-Local Politics of State Decay by Christopher Clapham 77 Four The Economic Correlates of State Failure: Taxes, Foreign Aid, and Policies by Nicolas van de Walle 94 Five The Deadly Connection: Paramilitary Bands, Small Arms Diffusion, and State Failure by Michael T. Klare 116 Six Preventing State Failure by David Carment 135 PART TWO: POST-FAILURE RESUSCITATION OF NATION-STATES 151 Seven Forming States after Failure by Jens Meierhenrich 153 Eight Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration: Lessons and Liabilities in Reconstruction by Nat J. Colletta, Markus Kostner, and Ingo Wiederhofer 170 Nine Establishing the Rule of Law by Susan Rose-Ackerman 182 Ten Building Effective Trust in the Aftermath of Severe Conflict by Jennifer A. Widner 222 Eleven Civil Society and the Reconstruction of Failed States by Daniel N. Posner 237 Twelve Restoring Economic Functioning in Failed States by Donald R. Snodgrass 256 Thirteen Transforming the Institutions of War: Postconflict Elections and the Reconstruction of Failed States by Terrence Lyons 269 Fourteen Let Them Fail: State Failure in Theory and Practice: Implications for Policy by Jeffrey Herbst 302 Contributors 319 Index 323
Robert I. Rotberg is Director of the Kennedy School of Government's Program on Intrastate Conflict and President of the World Peace Foundation. He is the author of Ending Autocracy, Enabling Democracy: The Tribulations of Southern Africa and other books, and the editor of State Failure and State Weakness in a Time of Terror, Truth v. Justice: The Morality of Truth Commissions (Princeton), and others.
Reviews for When States Fail: Causes and Consequences
Rotberg has collected a cadre of renowned scholars who flesh out the political, economic, and social reasons for state failure and provide prescriptions for both prevention and postfailure resuscitation. -- Cameron M. Otopalik Perspectives on Political Science
