The term failed state is often used to describe a state perceived as having failed to meet some of the basic conditions and responsibilities of sovereign government. In international law, a failed state is one that, “though retaining legal capacity, has for all practical purposes lost the ability to exercise it.” According to the Fund [...]

What constitutes a failed state? This week, we will examine that question and more as part of our weekly theme: We talk to ISN Security Watch correspondent in Mogdishu Abdurrahman Warsemeh about Somalia, the country that is seen by some as the epitome of a failed state, in the latest edition of ISN Podcasts. In [...]

I find it rather hard to follow the Somalia crisis in mainstream international media. I guess it has something to do with the killings of journalists in the country. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), six reporters have been killed there since the beginning of the year. They say it makes Somalia the [...]

In an insightful photo essay titled ‘Life in a Failed State’, Foreign Policy provides us with a sobering view on what life looks like in some of the most desolate countries in the world. Haunting images serve as visual reminders of the failure of national governments and the international community to address the conflicts and [...]