Hannah Whalen's Paper Proposal

Failed and quasi-states fail to provide for their populace, and have more external sovereignty than internal sovereignty.  Failed states are equal to states on some ways and not in others.  States like the Congo and Somalia are examples of failed states, as they are recognized by the United Nations, but lack an effective internal government.  The way these failed states interact as world players is largely relative to their unequal status in the world system.  Due to the uncertain nature of these failed or quasi-states, foreign intervention can happen for many reasons.  Humanitarian, security, and resource driven interventions can all occur.  Many of these reasons can be used to explain or hypothesis why certain failed states receive intervention and aid while others do not.  Why are certain states intervened in while others are not?  Why did we go into Iraq, and not Darfur?   I argue quasi and failed states are intervened in when intervention benefits the invading state.  Meaning states intervene in quasi-states when it is in their interest and do not intervene when it does not promote their interest. 

First I will provide a brief definition of quasi and failed states.  I will then investigate locations where intervention has occurred and where it has not.  I will focus on Iraq, as the location where invasion occurred, and Darfur as the location where invasion did not.      

 Sources:

Di John, Jonathan. “The Concept, Causes and Consequences of Failed States: A Critical Review of  the Literature and Agenda for Research with Specific Reference to Sub-Saharan Africa,"  European Journal of Development Research. Feb2010, Vol. 22 Issue 1, p10-30. 

Flibbert, Andrew.  “The Consequences of Forced State Failure in Iraq.” Political Science Quarterly. Spring2013, Vol. 128 Issue 1, p67-96. 30p.

 

Kolstø, Pål and Blakkisrud, Helge. “Living with Non-recognition: State- and Nation-building in   South Caucasian Quasi-states.” Europe-Asia Studies. May2008, Vol. 60 Issue 3, p483-         509. 27p. 3 Maps.  

 

Patrick, Stewart. “The brutal truth: failed states are mainly a threat to their own inhabitants.                 We should help them anyway.” Foreign Policy. July-August, 2011, Issue 187, p55, 3 p.

 

Yoo, John. “Fixing Failed States.” California Law Review. Feb2011, Vol. 99 Issue 1, p95-150. 56p.