Dangerous weakness

The world has truly changed. Today, weak states have become more dangerous than strong ones. Experts write with alarm about the general decline in controllability. International regimes are not respected, weapons of mass destruction are spreading, terrorists are weaving networks that are becoming ever more frequent and strong.

They especially talk about the so-called failed states, they are also failed states. There's a problem with handling. Moreover, no one knows how to turn these states into successful ones. And thereby improve controllability throughout the world.

In this regard, there are even “pleasant” memories of colonialism. After all, although not all, but mainly the former colonial and dependent countries did not succeed. However, when there were colonies, these countries did not exist as such. So the longing for pith helmets is a secret and delusional desire to erase the failed ones from the political map of the world. True, from time to time they try to bomb them into the Stone Age, but to no avail.

Experts disagree on the number of failed states. It is believed that public administration is ineffective in at least six dozen countries. Among the completely degrading ones are Chad, Yemen, Haiti, Afghanistan, Somalia, post-Saddam Iraq, Congo, Liberia, East Timor, etc.

Experts have different criteria for classifying a country into this group. But, as a rule, in a failed state there is widespread corruption. The judicial system is not working. Bureaucracy is ineffective. Social infrastructure is not developed. The police do not maintain law and order. The army is disintegrated. Soldiers and officers do not obey the authorities and organize illegal formations. Enclaves arise that do not obey the center and the constitution.

It would seem that even if they live like that, there is no need to worry about them. This is also a position, but a controversial one. The fact is that, due to the fault of failed countries, the world order is collapsing over very vast areas, including those adjacent to Europe, the United States, and Russia. And this actually threatens global security.

Due to the powerlessness of the authorities in failed countries, state functions are performed by non-state entities. In some - organized crime, in others - international terrorism. Remember, at one time in Russia citizens turned for justice not to the courts, but to criminal authorities. This always happens if the state institution is weak. Since failed states are often camps for terrorists or drug traffickers, the international community cares what happens there.

For example, the agreement on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement signed in Oslo was largely thwarted precisely by the insolvency of the Palestinian authorities. Today, part of the territory has been captured there, which is not subordinate to the central leadership. The case of the seizure of the Red Mosque in Pakistan is of the same order. The only difference is that Pakistan is a nuclear power, and I don’t even want to talk about the fate of nuclear weapons if the extremists win. In Afghanistan, also in some provinces, the Taliban again have power. This country, moreover, is still the main base of al-Qaeda.

So dangerous processes are taking place in failed states. The authorities of these countries do not have the state capacity to build iron curtains. Therefore, information about another life, about prosperity and freedom penetrates there. And the population of the countries of the Wider Middle East, Africa or Latin America is becoming politicized. A conflict with authoritarian governments begins. In Latin America this ends with Trotskyism and other extreme leftist movements. And in Muslim countries - radical Islamism, turning into terrorism. At the same time, it is not the poorest who become radicals, but people of average income. It was they who blew up the World Trade Center in New York, who recently prepared a terrorist attack in Glasgow, etc.

The authorities of failed countries are usually very ambitious. They criticize the West, capitalism, world Zionism. Those who are stronger are purchasing weapons and working on a nuclear bomb. And this is a direct and obvious threat of nuclear terrorism.

The attitude of the world community towards failed countries is usual - help for good behavior, sanctions for bad behavior. The US tried to spread democracy - to Afghanistan and Iraq. It was not possible to “bomb” these countries into democracy. In Afghanistan and Iraq, controllability is, to put it mildly, poor. The population of Muslim countries either resists democratic procedures or votes for extremists. For example, in open elections in Palestine, the same Hamas group that seized the Gaza Strip from autonomy came to power. In relations with failed countries, even aid gives nothing. For example, the fight against AIDS requires a certain medical infrastructure. But these countries don’t have it.

In 2005, in one of the Western materials, Russia was included in the list of failed states. By misunderstanding, of course. But in the 90s, she almost didn’t become like that. And she is not alone - all the countries in which liberal reforms took place. And they went not only to the former communist camp. For these reforms to have an effect, it is necessary, first of all, to weaken government intervention in the economy. However, everywhere there was simply disorganization of public administration. Meanwhile, the weakening of the state in one of its functions required strengthening in the functions of others. Liberating the economy and weakening state power are two different things. And elements of insolvency in Russia, according to general criteria, were evident in the 90s. The current Russian vertical of power has something to criticize for. She's probably not perfect. But something had to be done about the state devastation of the 90s.

And the “Washington Consensus”, according to which liberal reforms at the end of the last century took place, is now being criticized. In 2001, privatization chief Milton Friedman admitted “that the rule of law may be more important than privatization.” And the author of the liberal manifesto, “The End of History,” Francis Fukuyama, published the book “Strong State” in 2004.

Either they realized it, or the world has changed.