Insecurity and Development: The Rhetoric of the ‘Failed State’

Bøås, Morten; Jennings, Kathleen M.

doi:10.1080/09578810500209148

Cited by 59 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Consequently, the dichotomy between 'ideal' and 'failed state' -implicit in current debates -tends to lift cases of 'state failure' out of their historical contexts. Notions of 'state failure', 'state weakness' or 'state collapse', in other words, function as moral labels rather than theoretical tools for empirical analysis (Bøås and Jennings, 2005;Jones, 2008). Moreover, the discourse on state failure, by cementing the notion that African states are not what they are 'supposed' to be, says little about what can be hoped for in the future.…”

Section: A Historical and Conceptual Account Of The Development Of Thmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…However, the real question is to what extent the 'failed state' debate actually furthers our understanding of the challenges and potentials of African statehood. Several scholars have pointed to the limited analytical value of the 'failed state' concept (Bøås and Jennings, 2005;Boege et al, 2009a, b;Clapham, 2000;Clements et al, 2007;Jones, 2008). One of the concept's major demerits is its normative and ahistorical foundations: 'failed states' are evaluated against an abstract idea of a prototype advanced Western state, a conception that also underpins perceptions of how the international system should function.…”

Section: A Historical and Conceptual Account Of The Development Of Thmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The debate on 'failed states' rose to the top of the security agenda of the US and Europe in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, since Afghanistan had served as a safe haven for al-Qaeda while it was planning these attacks. The political debate on 'failed states' since 2001 has thus been centred on US and European security interests (Bøås and Jennings, 2005). The literature on failed states is relevant in that it draws attention to the real problem that many states in the poorer parts of the world lack the capacity to uphold law and order, deliver public services and address development problems.…”

Section: A Historical and Conceptual Account Of The Development Of Thmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Africa and International Relations in the 21st Century

Cornelissen¹,

Cheru²,

Shaw³

2012

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Section: A Historical and Conceptual Account Of The Development Of Thmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: A Historical and Conceptual Account Of The Development Of Thmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: A Historical and Conceptual Account Of The Development Of Thmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Africa and International Relations in the 21st Century

Cornelissen¹,

Cheru²,

Shaw³

2012

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“…… Colonialism and the holocaust notwithstanding, [the European state] is presented in liberal discourse as the model to emulate’. Yet it has limited relevance to many societies with non‐state forms of social contract (Bøås and Jennings ). Indeed, the state itself is manipulated by corporate, particularly financial, power.…”

Section: Liberal Prescriptions and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local Agency and Political Economies of Peacebuilding

Pugh

2011

Studies Ethnicity & National

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From the perspective of international relations (IR) and political science, a seismic shift in the study of peace has been occurring which has shaken the problemsolving foundations of liberal peacebuilding and the dominance of Kantian epistemology. Mainstream approaches have hitherto emphasised improvements in the techniques of making, keeping, and building peace (e.g., Berdal and Wennmann 2010; Call and Wyeth 2008;Collier et al. 2003;Doyle and Sambanis 2006;Paris 2004), rather than exploring the norms and values of a liberal paradigm that fosters silence around structural violence emanating from zones of peace and probity (and the economic agencies that they dominate). This article contends that the silence has been broken by a crisis of legitimacy of the liberal paradigm, heralded by hybrid forms of peace that reflect local adaptations and resistance to foreign presence, as well as by alternative concepts of intervention.This contribution is in three parts. The first considers the impact and limitations of economics in the context of the liberal peace paradigm. The second part examines the way in which interdisciplinary studies have opened up and extended debates about the role of political economy in conflict and peacebuilding. As during violent conflict itself, peace (or relative peace) is characterised by the permeability of ethnic divides, with economic exchange sometimes breaching socially constructed boundaries and with ethnic hostilities modified by economic interactions, often of an informal kind. The third part focuses on the influence of post-colonial studies on the conceptualisation of peacebuilding to highlight the issue of whether subalterns in war-torn societies decide their own forms of political economy and welfare. The article concludes that interdisciplinary frameworks can provide economic studies with opportunities to reveal the agency of peacebuilding 'hosts' in their everyday lives and interactions with interventionists.

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“…see Herbst 2004;Bøås and Jennings 2005;Dokken 2008;Hansen 2010;Reno 2010). A weak state does not perform its basic functions well; thus, it is the antithesis of an ideal state.…”

Section: Weak States With Strong Regimesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A democratic dictator's success: how Chad's President Deby defeated the military opposition in three years (2008–2011)

Hansen

2013

Journal of Contemporary African Studies

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This article focuses on how President Deby re-gained power after a nearly successful coup d'état against him in February 2008. The analysis points towards one major external reason for success and a divided internal strategy. The international community's little interest in Chad and the desire for political stability among the few interested states are the main external reasons for Deby's success. Internally, Deby's use of violence and co-optation explain his success. Deby defeated the Chadian military opposition by combining cooptation of adversaries in Chad's patrimonial marketplace.

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Insecurity and Development: The Rhetoric of the ‘Failed State’

Cited by 59 publications

References 4 publications

Africa and International Relations in the 21st Century

Africa and International Relations in the 21st Century

Local Agency and Political Economies of Peacebuilding

A democratic dictator's success: how Chad's President Deby defeated the military opposition in three years (2008–2011)

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