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State Failure

Courtesy Reuters

Brian Cronin

Paths to Power

Dictators come in several guises—some more treacherous than others.

Anna Grzymala-Busse

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Civil & Military Relations January/February 2020 Review Essay

Paths to Power

Dictators come in several guises—some more treacherous than others.

Reviewed by Anna Grzymala-Busse

The Collapse of Venezuela

Explore the Anthology

State Failure Nov 12, 2019 Snapshot

Introduction

This Foreign Affairs collection examines the failed policies that drove Venezuela to disaster and the forces that have kept it in a state of emergency.

Civil & Military Relations Feb 25, 2019 Snapshot

Will Maduro’s Supporters Abandon Him?

Maduro's supporters in government claim they are united behind him. But some suggest that the Chavista leadership can and even should change. Is there room for...

Ivan Briscoe

Maduro at a rally in Caracas, February 2019

Climate Change Nov 29, 2018 Snapshot

Climate Shocks and Humanitarian Crises

Which countries are most at risk from climate-related instability and humanitarian crises in the coming years?

Joshua Busby and Nina von Uexkull

A woman and her child in a drought-stricken region of Somaliland, April 2016.

Refugees & Migration Oct 23, 2018 Snapshot

Latin America Is Facing a Refugee Crisis

Venezuela is crumbling as a result of the disastrous policies of Presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. Since around 2015, 2.6 million Venezuelans have poured into...

Dany Bahar

Venezuelan refugees carry their belongings across the Tachira river border between Colombia and Venezuela, August 2015

Latin America November/December 2018 Essay

Venezuela’s Suicide

Socialism and declining oil prices are often blamed for Venezuela’s catastrophe. In reality, it was decades of destructive leadership under Hugo Chávez and his...

Moisés Naím and Francisco Toro

A protester holds a burning flag at a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, June 2017

Civil & Military Relations Jul 27, 2018 Snapshot

Pakistan's Sham Election

This election, like virtually every previous election in Pakistan, will have few consequences for Pakistan’s behavior at home or abroad.

C. Christine Fair

Imran Khan at a press conference in Islamabad, July 2018.

ISIS Dec 22, 2017 Snapshot

The Jihadist Threat Won't End With ISIS' Defeat

Numerous additional Salafi jihadist organizations will be ready to take ISIS' place as long as the conditions that gave rise to such groups persist.

Barbara F. Walter

Civilian children stand next to a burnt vehicle during clashes between Iraqi security forces and ISIS in the northern Iraq city of Mosul, June 2014.

Civil & Military Relations Nov 17, 2017 Snapshot

Mugabe Is Gone, But Zimbabwe’s Dictatorship Will Remain

The next leader of Zimbabwe, probably former Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa or his one of his proxies, is likely to continue Mugabe’s tyranny.

John Campbell

Zimbabwean General Moyo speaks on state broadcaster ZBC during the coup, November 2017.

Political Development Jul 24, 2017 Snapshot

Afghanistan's Deadly Identity Politics

Unless Washington backs reforms aimed at improving Afghan governance, any hope for improvement is misplaced.

Patricia Gossman

Afghans pray for the victims of a May car-bombing in Kabul, June 2017.

Refugees & Migration Jul 20, 2017 Snapshot

Europe’s Libya Problem

Nearly 11,000 migrants arrived on Italian shores in just the last five days of June, with the vast majority embarking from the Libyan coast.

Sabina Henneberg and Mieczyslaw P. Boduszynski

Migrants after being picked up by the Libyan coast guard, July 2017.

From the Archives Jul 7, 2017 Snapshot

Mediation in Venezuela Is Doomed to Fail

To stop Venezuela’s slide into chaos, Latin American states need to develop a coordinated policy that pressures the Venezuelan government into respecting human rights.

Christopher Sabatini

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro at a military parade in Caracas, July 2017.

Economics March/April 2016 Review Essay

Hunger Games

In his new book, Cormac O Grada argues persuasively that famines can result from bad data, and he emphasizes the importance of gathering accurate information on crop...

Reviewed by Douglas Gollin

State Failure Oct 27, 2014 Video

Foreign Affairs Focus: Max Boot on Small Wars

Washington doesn’t have the luxury of avoiding long wars against brutal insurgencies. Instead, it needs to figure out how to fight them better.

Humanitarian Intervention November/December 2014 Comment

The Good War?

More than 13 years after 9/11, the Afghan war is far from over, even if Washington insists that the U.S. role in it will soon come to an end. Three recent books help...

Peter Tomsen

Locked and loaded: Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, January 2014.

War & Military Strategy November/December 2014 Comment

A Hard Education

Few would argue that Washington’s approach to the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq has been a success worth emulating. So the most important question now is what can...

Gideon Rose and Jonathan Tepperman

A school boy, carrying a backpack, walks past burning fuel tankers, October 7, 2010.

Political Development January/February 2014 Essay

The Rise and Fall of the Failed-State Paradigm

As the recent era of interventionist U.S. state building draws to a close, it is time to acknowledge it was flawed not only in execution, but also in conception....

Michael J. Mazarr

A broken globe in an abandoned school in Ukraine.

Strategy & Conflict Mar 25, 2013 Snapshot

The Real Reason Putin Supports Assad

Vladimir Putin's unwavering support for the Assad regime in Syria is best explained by his dread of fracturing states and Sunni Islamism -- fears he confronted most...

Fiona Hill

Strategy & Conflict Feb 20, 2013 Snapshot

Does France Have an Exit Strategy in Mali?

France’s intervention in Mali has so far succeeded, but expelling Islamist militants was the easy part. Now Paris must turn its tactical achievements into a lasting...

Etienne de Durand

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State Failure

Paths to Power

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Paths to Power

The Collapse of Venezuela

Introduction

Will Maduro’s Supporters Abandon Him?

Climate Shocks and Humanitarian Crises

Latin America Is Facing a Refugee Crisis

Venezuela’s Suicide

Pakistan's Sham Election

The Jihadist Threat Won't End With ISIS' Defeat

Mugabe Is Gone, But Zimbabwe’s Dictatorship Will Remain

Afghanistan's Deadly Identity Politics

Europe’s Libya Problem

Mediation in Venezuela Is Doomed to Fail

Hunger Games

Foreign Affairs Focus: Max Boot on Small Wars

The Good War?

A Hard Education

The Rise and Fall of the Failed-State Paradigm

The Real Reason Putin Supports Assad

Does France Have an Exit Strategy in Mali?

Country Focus

Graduate School Forum

The Most:

What Is 5G?

9 Female Leaders Gaining Notice

Which Countries Have the Highest Voter Turnout?

The Link Between Foreign Languages and U.S. National Security

Aung San Suu Kyi’s Major Speech on Rakhine State

Creating a State Department Office for American State and Local Diplomacy

Publications

The U.S. Immigration Debate

Demographics of the U.S. Military

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State Failure

Paths to Power

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Foreign Affairs Focus: Max Boot on Small Wars