Failed state

A sovereign state whose government cannot reliably provide basic services, maintain control over its territory, or enforce law.

State capacity: A government's ability to formulate and implement policy, enforce rules, and deliver public services. Its erosion leaves governments unable to perform core functions.
Sovereignty: The authority of a state to govern itself and its territory without subordination to another state. Failure concerns the practical exercise of authority by an entity that remains sovereign.
Fragile state: A state with heightened vulnerability to conflict, institutional weakness, or inability to meet public needs. Fragility signals elevated risk, while failure describes more severe and pervasive dysfunction.
Somalia: A country in the Horn of Africa that experienced the collapse of its central government in 1991. The loss of central authority made Somalia a defining modern case in debates about failed states.
Refugee: A person outside their country who cannot safely return because of persecution, conflict, or serious harm. Violence and absent protection can force people to flee across international borders.
Political legitimacy: The accepted right of a government or institution to exercise authority. Declining acceptance of authority can undermine compliance and government reach.
Government: The institutions and officials that exercise political authority and administer a state. A state's governing institutions are the structures whose performance is in question.
Weak state: A state with limited capacity to enforce rules, control territory, or provide public goods. Weakness can be substantial without reaching the degree of dysfunction implied by failure.
Liberia: A West African country whose civil wars from 1989 to 2003 severely disrupted government and public services. Its wars illustrate how prolonged conflict can devastate state institutions.
Internally displaced person: A person forced to leave home who remains within their country's borders. Territorial insecurity can displace people without enabling them to cross a border.

Linked from 3 pages