Now, if I wanted to be a smart mouth I could say that a failed state is a state of failure and that it happens when you lose. I won't though say that though because I don't feel like it...The term 'failed state' is a very broad label. It doesn't particularly define any specific situation. I could go on about how complex it is but the more student friendly definition is when a state or country doesn't meet the basic requirements of a sovereign government. Which is lose of control of the territory they occupy, inability to make collective decisions, inability to offer reasonable public services, and not being able to play nice with the rest of the country. So when the civil war was going on, we were a failed state because the South and the North were not getting along."Why things fall apart"Things tend to shatter after civil wars, natural disasters, or brutal take overs by arrogant dictators. It can also take place over a long period of time. Just like a small seed that's planted somewhere that grows slowly... and one day you turn around and its huge and there's nothing you can do about it anymore.That's when the leaders get desperate. The country becomes a carcass that harbors terrorists and criminals, and political extremism. Its not just leaders either, the people get desperate too. That's probably when they turn to terrorism. The leaders of those criminals offer the people with no money a way to live, maybe a purpose in life. Your family is in danger, you have no money or food... Some stranger walks up and says, "You put a bomb here and I'll pay you,' what would you say.Sometimes, just the geography of a country can lead to its failure. Maybe long ago small tribes could live in those areas and support themselves but a whole country couldn't. Then you have religion and cultural differences tearing the people apart."Shattered Somalia"
Once upon a time, there was a land that was ruled by pirate lords and terrorists... Or maybe not so once upon a time. Its real, its now, not then, or later, its happening now. Not the totally awesome pirates like Jack Sparrow, Davy Jones, Mr. Gibbs, and Barbossa. Real pirates, you know... the no fun ones...
The people of the "country" known as Somalia is not all like this though. Its like in a rich family where one child is given everything it could possibly ask for, while the other is beaten til its lying in a pool of its own blood on the floor. Southern Somalia is a ghost town. The people cower in anywhere they feel is "safe".The generation not far before us hasn't seen a stable republic and they probably won't in their lifetime. If they do, they will be too old to enjoy it as they would when they were kids. A skill that they have developed is obviously the ability to survive is such conditions and how to match a gunshot or bomb to what fired it.Somalia is no doubt a rotting corpse. One that attracts filthy maggots and worms that crawl towards it to degrade it further. It is, with out doubt or further questioning, the number one failed state.
Comments
You don't really summarize the article on Somalia very well.