engaging fragile states - Woodrow Wilson International Center for ...

Engaging Fragile States:
An International Policy Primer
The Four Sections of this Report
Organized around the main discussion topics from the Colloquium
Parts I and II
descend from the global level to the policy sector level.
Part I Understanding State Failure and Resilience
discusses the global incidence of state failure; its elements and sources;
and the societal dynamics that lead to state failure, or avoid it. By
scanning the globe for countries at risk of failure and identifying the
aspects of a state and society that may be weak, Part I provides a crucial
first step in developing appropriate country strategies.
Part II Responding to Fragile States
looks more closely at the national level to review lessons from recent
experience regarding the best sequencing of major state-building tasks
in two types of country situations: post-conflict and potential conflict. Then
it zeroes in on the sectoral level by identifying particular instruments that
have worked well in achieving three vital functions in fragile states: political
leadership, service delivery, and economic growth.
Part III Organizing Multi-Actor Strategies
moves back to a global level by surveying the abilities of major
governments and multilateral organizations, such as the UN, for
undertaking the kinds of coherent ground-level state-building strategies
that have been laid out. This is followed by a consideration of the US
government efforts to establish structures and procedures for addressing
fragile states.
Part IV Implications and Applications
extracts the most compelling answers from the previous sections to the
central question above: how the US can tackle the problems of fragile
states by taking realistic steps without new and expensive programs.
Introduction: Threats Amid Overload | 11