Rogue & Failed States are the main threats to World Order

“FAILED STATES AND ROGUE STATES ARE THE MAIN THREATS TO WORLD ORDER”. TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS VIEW?

A State is a nation or territory considered as an organized political community operating under one government that is able to provide for and protect its citizens.

"Rogue states”;(also known as “pariah” states) states which are accused of violating international norms of behavior by, for example, sponsoring international terrorism, committing human rights abuses and seeking weapons of mass destruction (Hoyt, 2000)

“Rogue states” are often aggressive and defiant. Rogue states in international relations are commonly the subject of diplomatic isolation, economic embargo, political and economic sanctions, and even military attack. (Hoyt, 2000). Examples of s

tates are Libya, Syria, Cuba and Iraq etc.

“Failed” states are states that have loss of physical control of its territory; these are also states that can no longer preform basic functions for their economy. They can also be defined as:

“Those political entities in international politics that supply deficient qualities and quantities of political goods and simultaneously no longer exercise a monopoly of violence within their territories”. (Robert Rotberg)

In international relations failed states usually contain civil wars and these states are not considered which also leads to the realist assumption of the realists that the international system is based on anarchy, its because of this reason that failed states exist. Examples of failed states are Afghanistan, Pakistan and Zimbabwe, Somalia etc.

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF “FAILED STATES” AND “ROGUE STATES” TO WORLD ORDER

Although there are many threats to world order, to a very large extent failed and rogue states deem as the major threats even in the unipolar world of ours today.

“Failed states” have no control over their government therefore they become potential places for terrorist bases. They are also safe haven for pirates, the sea is very important in transporting things that can not be transported through any other means. They also encourage many civil wars, as it seems to happen most within them. There are over fifteen failed states but Somalia has been called the worlds most “emblematic failed state”(.Jamal, 2013)

Somalia became a failed state because there was no longer any central government and the basic needs of the people were no longer provided. As history will tell us pirates have existed for a really long time and they hijack ships and hold them for ransom or rather take any valuables from the ships, pirates mostly exist in failed states because there is anarchy. An example is the pirates of Somalia in the 1990’s when the sea was unprotected so the local fishermen took it as their duty to protect the seas, overtime these local fishermen have come to create one of the biggest piracy organizations. The “gulf of Aden “waters close to the east of Somalia is where these pirates are most active.it is in this base that Somalia pirates attacked a hundred ships holding them for ransom and up to a hundred and twenty million dollars was acquired. (Anyu and moki, 2009).

Somalia has been without a functional central government, and its capacity to provide key public goods to its citizens has collapsed. Somalia's civil war destroyed the state judiciary, leaving an institutional vacuum that was subsequently filled by the Islamic Courts Union. Somalia lacks the ability to effectively control substantial portions of its territory. The government is unable and unwilling to provide for the essential human needs of its citizens—in terms of security as well as adequate food, clean water, health care, and education. (Jamal, 2013).

“The more Somalia fails, the more piracy will increase in frequency as their weapons and techniques get more sophisticated thus consistently posing a greater threat”(Lennox 2008,p11)

Failed states also encourage the spread of dangerous epidemics and disease. This is because citizens are scared to leave in their own country so they migrate to other countries, some of them carrying diseases that they can spread to others endangering global health and the economic costs are very high when diseases are spread. e.g. Aids etc.

These diseases can affect very important sectors of economies including the defense, agricultural, health and education sector which will be a threat to international stability, security and world order. (Patrick, 2006).

Examples of terrorist influence is the popular “9/11” in which the terrorist group that took over Afghanistan attacked America in September 2011,this group came from a state but affected the international system because of their actions. This way other countries can have hope in doing the same thing and try to overcome their government based on their religious or ethnic beliefs and influence world order in which it would be a chaotic system.

The Al-Qaeda has influences on major states problem today and they only came into existence today because of a failed state.

Rogue states such as Iraq are called rogue states because despite the years of international organizations (the united nations) sanctions and inspections, it is sill suspected of pursuing programs to develop nuclear programs, biological weapons and missile developments.(BBC news,2001).this means they are going against international norms despite all the

“Rogue states” are a threat to world order on the individual level because they do not protect human rights within their borders. These states usually run dictatorship system or authoritarian regimes e.g. Muammar Gaddafi in Libya. These kinds of regimes severely restrict human rights and if possible reduce public opinion to a large extent. These states are also very active in producing weapons of mass destruction (WMD”S) and terror threats to different countries in the international system. They are also big threats that will affect national interests of states.

Rogue states are also a basis for money laundering, human and drug trafficking. This affects world order because these problems have great effects on the economies both emotionally and psychologically stirring uprisings from the population.

The realists in international relations believe that rogue states in particular do not always behave rationally or in their best interests because they also compete with other states for power in the international system and their leaders are very unpredictable.

The United States considers Russia as a rogue state because it is hostile to them, to a very large extent it is the hegemonic power today because of their military and economic power and also because they are involved in almost everything that goes on in international affairs.

Although the United States of America itself is a “Rogue state” because their foreign policy is aggressive, they ignore international law and they are relentless in their pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. The United States has 30,000 tonnes of weapons of mass destruction and counting. They also have the biggest nuclear arsenal in the world.

According to Harold Pinter (2001), he said, “The United States of America is the authentic rogue state but a rogue state of colossal military and economic might”.

It has also made itself an outlaw state through the Kyoto treaty, the International Criminal Court and Anti Ballistic Missiles. The United States has also had rogue leaders including George. W. Bush. In his axis of evil speech where he stated that “evil is real and it must be opposed”. He was referring to the states Iran, Iraq and North Korea at the time.

“The United States of America exhibits a chronic inability to engage constructively with the outside world (Anthony lake, 1994).

OTHER PROBLEMS THAT AFFECT WORLD ORDER

On the other hand rogue states and failed states are not so much a threat to world order compared to some of the problems existing in the international system today.

Every state wants to go up the hierarchy in terms of military and economic capability and most states do not care as to how they achieve it.in doing so there is competition for resources that cannot be replaceable (scarce resources). In international relations this is referred to as the world system theory where the periphery will always want to be in the same level as the core and the core will always want to be higher. This is called unequal distribution of wealth.

Climate change is also another factor affecting world order but it is not regarded because it is not yet visible so therefore states are not taking precautionary actions rather they are using their foreign policy to achieve their national interests.

Poverty is also another factor affecting world order, if there are no leaders a country will find it hard exist.” Poverty indicators such as infant mortality, unemployment and homelessness in the ghettos of American (and increasingly European) cities are in many respects comparable to those prevailing in the Third World.”(Michel Chossudovsky, 2013).

“The united states can not win the war on terrorism unless we confront the social and political roots of poverty”.

Religion and ethnic groups is also one of the major reasons of the disruption of world order today, beliefs in different religions and ideologies that everyone should practice that religion brings war, bloodshed, death and overthrowing of governments. The fact that people can come together and recognize themselves under one identity is no longer a positive thing as of today because it ahs caused chaos in the international system.

The meddling of the political system of different countries and the different opinions of different leaders of countries create chaos of world order because leaders might not be willing to come to a compromise (for example the non proliferation treaty where not every state wants to participate in this treaty and some states such as north Korea is leaving).

Migration is also another factor affecting world order because the populace of different countries are scattered across the world thereby bringing disputes on borders and the ethnic groups belonging to some particular states.

“Failed states” are not threats to world order because generally not all failed states are plagued by terrorism. This is because the notion of finding a safe haven in failed states is very outrageous

ROLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO INTERVENE IN “FAILED STATES”

The international community is a “benevolent omniscient entity that makes decisions and takes actions for the benefit of all countries and peoples”(Katherine yester, 2002). International institutions, hegemonic states, a group of states and non-governmental organizations are part of the international community.

When it comes to “Failed states” international institutions such as the United Nations have a role to play. Under the rules of the united nations for example they are supposed to provide international peace and security therefore when any state poses a threat especially failed states they are prepared to intervene in any state that is perceived as a threat to the international community through political, economical, judicial and military steps if necessary.

Sovereignty of failed states have also been influenced by non governmental organizations (NGO’S) that have taken on a range of issues including human rights, famine, environmental protection etc.

The international community for example in the 1980’s when there was a debt crisis in the third world, the I.M.F and World Bank took on economic responsibility through the imposition of structural adjustment program (SAP).

Some failed states might not want to be saved or need any intervention from the international community. This point means that the international community is not always successful in saving these failed states.

For example in the “Failed State” of Somalia when the united states as a hegemonic power and member of the international community tried to intervene and secure international peace. The history goes as follows:

“The United Nations attempted to address the crisis with United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM) to provide humanitarian assistance, created by the United Nations Security Council via Resolution 751 in April 1992. The United States sent food aid via Operation Provide Comfort starting in August 1992. Intense fighting between the warlords impeded the delivery of aid to those who needed it most, and so the United Nations contemplated stronger action. In December 1992, the United States began Operation Restore Hope. President George H.W. Bush authorized the dispatch of U.S. troops to Somalia to assist with famine relief as part of the larger United Nations effort. The United Nations’ United Task Force (UNITAF) operated under the authority of Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter. Chapter VII allowed for the use of force to maintain peace and did not require the consent of the states involved. UNITAF transitioned to UNOSOM II in March 1993. UNOSOM II’s efforts to protect aid deliveries were directly challenged by warlord Muhammad Farah Aideed.

The most significant of these challenges came on October 3, 1993. Aideed’s forces shot down two Black Hawk helicopters in a battle, which lead to the deaths of 18 U.S. soldiers and hundreds of Somalis. The deaths turned the tide of public opinion in the United States. President Bill Clinton pulled U.S. troops out of combat four days later, and all U.S. troops left the country in March 1994. The United Nations withdrew from Somalia in March 1995. Fighting continued in the country.” Through this the United Nations had to leave Somalia therefore unable to provide a solution to the problem, till today Somalia is still a “Failed state” and the international community has abandoned them because their intervention failed.