State Failure and Intervention
Researcher: Ben Oppenheim, IIS Research Fellow
The erosion and reconstruction of effective governing authorities is one of the most critical humanitarian and development challenges of the early 21st century. The problem is not simply that states are degrading and collapsing-- though by many indices they are, at a historically unprecedented rate. Instead, the principal challenges of state failure are more complex and numerous:
- Weak states often fail to provide public goods, ranging from basic human services to dispute resolution and adjudication. In this power vacuum, religious groups--often with militaristic wings--have begun to shoulder the burden
- Weak states are persisting longer than ever, preserving their rule while failing to extend protection to their citizens
- Weak states are often marked with "dark spaces" which their authority cannot penetrate
All of these trends exist in a global political and humanitarian environment that is being reshaped both by changing norms concerning a state's responsibility to protect its citizens, and the continuing war on terror. Weak and failing states face continuing intervention by military and development actors alike, and the activities performed by these two groups-- particularly around state building-- continue to blur an already complex and contentious relationship.
Through research as well as a series of public forums over the course of 2008-2009, this project concerns on a wide range of Cal's research community: human rights; the responsibility to protect; international development; multilateralism; and US foreign policy.
