The concept of a Failed State denotes a nation lacking effective government and legal structures. The term was first used in the early 1990s post-Cold War context as western developed nations—especially the United States—sought to empower themselves and the United Nations to intervene in underdeveloped nations guided by principles of democracy, global security, and a human rights agenda. The term lacks a clear definition and has been criticized by some as representing power relations associated with neocolonialism, which ultimately stigmatizes those states to which the term is applied. The term is also problematic because it gives the impression that a state is non-functioning, whether in terms of leadership, security, economics, etc., which may not accurately reflect the realities of a given nation.
Sources:
Neyire Akpinarli, The Fragility of the ‘Failed State’ Paradigm: A Different International Law (Leiden: Brill, 2010).
Mary Harper, Getting Somalia Wrong? Faith, War and Hope in a Shattered State (London: Zed Books, 2012).