Failed States

Though there is no single agreed-upon definition of what a failed state is, failed states are generally considered to be nation-states that cannot provide basic services to their people. States that do not provide security for their people and whose governments do not have monopolies over the use of legitimate violence in their territories are viewed as failed or collapsed states. These states typically suffer from weak political, social, and economic institutions leading to some or all of the following conditions: lax law enforcement, poor infrastructure, government violence against citizens, high levels of corruption, civil war, rising inflation, falling life expectancy, and food shortages.

Somalia is the top-ranked state on The Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy magazine's Failed States Index. The Failed States Index ranks ...