Beyond the Anna Karenina Principle: Examining State Failure and Fragility from the Perspectives of Nationhood and Nation-building
Giray GerimIn recent decades, a large literature on state failure has emerged. However, it is difficult to say that there has been a significant development in the theoretical framework of the subject, other than listing the various causes and indicators of the situation and making measurements based on them. In general, it is emphasized that the state failure experienced in each country has its own reasons and circumstances and that each should be examined as separate cases. Although this general opinion is not rejected in this study, it is aimed to contribute to the literature that aims to clarify the theoretical framework to a certain extent. The main argument of the study is that state failure is mainly caused by the problems and failures experienced in nation-building process. This argument is explained with the help of nationalism and nation-building literature. Afterwards, this argument is discussed by focusing on the ten countries that are stated to be in the worst situation according to the criteria determined in the Fragile State Index.
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