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WEAK AND FAILING STATES: SPILLOVERS AND GLOBAL THREATS FOR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Abstract
It is well known that the gravest dangers to international security are no longer military threats from rival great powers, but trans-border threats emerging from the world's most vulnerable countries. The key connection between weak and failing states, on the one hand, and transnational threats, on the other, is undeniable. Political thinkers such as Francis Fukuyama hold that “since the end of the Cold War, weak and failing states have arguably become the single-most important problem for international order”. [1] It has become a common claim that these kinds of states generate multiple cross - border "spillovers", such as terrorism, proliferation of weapons, regional instability, organized crime, energy insecurity and last but not least, the spread of civilization diseases. Deeper examination of this issue suggests that this connection is strong but less clear than normally assumed. State failure can occur in different stages from which a different ability follows to provide security. To illustrate, terrorist groups are more interested in countries which are not as extremely devastated, and still have some basic infrastructure. The situation is the same with spillover effects. The failed states, or the weakest states, produce fewer threats to international security than the stronger ones, though still weak in ability to offer all goods and services for their citizens. There can be no one-size-fits-all response to addressing either the sources or consequences of these weaknesses. The main aim of this paper is to show a connection between transnational effects of state failure that are more transparent, comprehensibly clearer and also more understandable. This paper may also be used for further research as well as for the international community, in order to be able to set priorities and make tough choices about where, when, and how to deal with weak and failing states.
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