Introduction
It is difficult to look back at the once abundant region, which is currently in shambles. Just a quarter-century in the past, the Middle East was characterized by common purpose and reconciliation in abundance. There is an increase in literature that has formed around the idea of “state failure” (Howard 28). The original literature on the concept considered the deprived performance of the states’ economy, focusing on their limitations in the delivery of sufficient growth in the economy as well as advancing development. The body of literature has grown out of global organizations’ fervor embraced the possibility of the states to be fixed. The idea of fixing the state weaknesses has become the basis for the establishment of aid and support programs (Sela 84). However, in the cases of some of the states in the Middle East, the weaknesses are proving impossible to fix regardless of the efforts by the international community. The states have fallen into the category of failed states as shall be discussed.
Failed States
The study of failed or weak states has generated a great deal of controversy in scholarly work and the everyday discourse. However, there is a general definition of the concept of failed states that are no longer in a position to perform their fundamental duties to their people. Such states are those which cannot provide basic services such as security, education, or governance. These states are marred by conflicts and extreme poverty which make life therein almost impossible. Failed states have a power and political vacuum in which case the citizens are victims of conflicting groups and crime. As a result, the states are mostly in need of intervention from the international community, the UN, and other powers within the global system, with the objective of preventing a humanitarian disaster (Gause III 82). The failure of states can be as a result of internal or external issues. Some states have failed to an extent that their situation cannot be easily redeemed.
The events leading to the uprisings that have spread through the Middle East and their domino-like spreading have led to the increasing interest in studying the question of failed states in the region. Regardless of the long history of conflicts, the Middle East has been characterized by the existence of strong nations. However, things are no longer the same as they have been, with the weak states becoming weaker and some even being classified as failed states. There are states in the region that have been considered inherently weak for decades (Howard 31). The states are being classified as failed because they lack the real stability that necessitates employment opportunities, education, and absence of corruption among others (Sela 62). While the international community could provide support to save the nations, the situation in theses states is too challenging to redeem.
Reasons Behind the Failure of States
In the Middle East, there are very many major and persistent conflicts. However, there has not been a single answer to the question about the causes of the conflicts. Evidently, looking back at the last one century, the situation has become worse for states in the Middle East. Since the Ottoman Empire came to an end, there has been an increase in problems in the region. The end of the Empire suggested the end of the single power controlling the region. Without such control, there has been room for rebel factions taking advantage of the vacuum in leadership, especially where there is no organized and legitimate group taking control (Sela 29). The groups are the main causes of the continuing conflict in many states in the region. There is evidence that the demise of the empire left room for ethnic clashes, violence, religious fervor, and political instability. The issues have led to the establishment of authoritarian rules and terrorist factions. The political vacuum has left the room for these groups, creating further mayhem in most states in the Middle East.
The demise of the Ottoman Empire has shaped the present reality in the once prosperous region. However, going back before the event, it becomes possible to understand other factors that have shaped the present-day problems in the Middle East. Britain and France, in 1916 mapped the region, a reality that has led to the present reality in the region. The area has always been a strategic region for major empires and leadership. There have been many such from “Alexander the Great to the Mongols; the Romans, Napoleon, and Ottomans” (Howard 18). The Middle East is strategically positioned, geographically, to gain control over the world, from the Mediterranean. It has always commanded a huge resource base due to its richness in oil reserves. The abundance of resources has led to the increased political interest in the region. Major states have been attracted to the region, including the most powerful ones in the west (Gause III 84). These nations have tried to put major efforts to help the region to recover from the crises, but the efforts do not appear to have been successful.
For centuries, there have been many conflicting groups in the Middle East. Shia and Sunnis, Jews and Arabs, Christians and Muslims were conflicting, but their territorial disputes were few and minor. The imperial sovereign in Istanbul was the force that protected these factions and prevented any internal strife or threats from the outside. However, when the systems ended a century ago, a demon was set free. Sectarian, national, and ethnic conflicts became the order of the day, all in the efforts to have control over the territory (Sela 125). The history is an important lens through which to understand the conflicts and the results for the reasons many states are failing or have failed. While the Ottomans played a critical role in the stability that was enjoyed in the Middle East, it was not immune to the external influence of the western states and colonial concerns which made the region highly volatile. The influences had become more critical compared to the internal loyalties that were making the region stable.
The Sykes-Picot Agreement was signed in the wake of the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, and it is argued to have played a critical role in shaping the modern reality in the Middle East. The agreement failed to consider the indigenous peoples’ interests as it was founded on the western view of nationalism. The outcome was a diversity of cultures which led to the bloody conflicts that have been witnessed in the region for decades. The agreement was founded on sectarian and racial points of view and necessitated ethnic cleansing if “mono-cultural” states were to be created. Since the time, stability was never experienced in the region as a result of the outcome of the agreement (Alesina, Easterly, and Matuszeski 247). Besides the reality of generations that have not seen peace and prosperity in the region, there is a growth of the states that can be described as failed states, some with no hope of ever reviving. The list of the failed states is growing.
Case Studies
The Arab Uprising, commonly known as the Arab Springs, has been the culmination of conflicts resulting in a worse situation for the already fragile countries. It is evident that four main dictatorships were overthrown in the wake of the uprisings. While fragile, Tunisia has been cited as the most evident case of a state transitioning to democracy (Genna and Hiroi 5). However, this is only one of the major results of the Arab springs. There are even more states that are under stress as the outcome of the conflicts. The pressure has been too much that some fragile states are collapsing or about to collapse. State failure in the Middle East is evident, with an increase in the number of states that were once weak becoming failed states. In the wake of the Arab Spring and the ongoing conflict leading to power and political vacuum, states in the region are now being categorized as failed states.
Works Cited
Alesina, Alberto, William Easterly, and Janina Matuszeski. “Artificial states.” Journal of the European Economic Association 9.2 (2011): 246-277.
Genna, Gaspare, and Taeko Hiroi. “Do Democracy Clauses Matter? The Effects of Regional Integration Associations on Political Stability and Democratic Consolidation.” (2015).
Howard, Tiffiany. The tragedy of failure: Evaluating state failure and its impact on the spread of refugees, terrorism, and war. ABC-CLIO, 2010.
Sela, Avraham. Decline of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, The: Middle East Politics and the Quest for Regional Order. SUNY Press, 2012.
Gause III, F. Gregory. “Why Middle East studies missed the Arab Spring: The myth of authoritarian stability.” Foreign Affairs (2011): 81-90.
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