Fixing Fragile States A New Paradigm for Development

Subjects:

• Political Science » International Relations
• Political Science » Civil/Political/Human Rights

Related Web Pages:

• http://sethkaplan.org

Reviews:

• This is a stimulating contribution to a growing literature on how to deal with fragile states.
  —Foreign Affairs November/December 2008

• Endorsement From Dr. Chester A. Crocker,
  Professor of Strategic Studies, Georgetown University,
  former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs: A timely and provocative volume, Fixing Fragile States offers a seldom-voiced perspective on why international efforts to repair broken countries tend to fail. Seth Kaplan argues that instead of dispatching troops or sending more aid, policymakers should focus on what these desperate and dangerous places really need: long-term help in building strong institutions to foster social cohesion, responsive and accountable government, and locally-driven economic dynamism. Kaplan's focus deals with one of the great challenges of our time, and his analysis deserves a wide hearing.
• Endorsement From Dr. I. William Zartman,
  Jacob Blaustein Distinguished Professor of International Organization and Conflict Resolution, School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University: A widely ranging and deeply penetrating analysis of why states fail and what to do about it. The book is full of new ideas that locate the job of state-building--usually misnamed nation-building--in the local institutions of society. It will enrich our flagging debate about failing states by focusing us, not only on good ideas, but also on their specific application (or lack of it) in seven cases of Latin America, Africa, and Asia. An insightful view by a man who knows his business.
• Endorsement From Edna Adan Ismail,
  ex Foreign Minister, Somaliland: Fixing Fragile States presents a bold and innovative approach to development, one that emphasizes the need to customize governing bodies to suit local customs and the capacity of local institutions. For we Africans, tired of being told to emulate Western models of governance, this book is a breath of fresh air. With its explanation of how countries can use their own strengths to build stable and prosperous societies, Fixing Fragile States should be required reading, not only for government officials and development specialists, but for everyone concerned with the fate of weak and failed states.

Table of Contents:

• List of Tables, Charts, and Maps
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Part I Introduction
• 1. Introduction: Why Fragile States Matter
• Part II Diagnosis
• 2. Fostering Development: The Missing Ingredients
• 3. Fragile States, Fractured Societies
• Part III Prescriptions
• 4. A New Paradigm for Development
• Part IV Application
• 5. West Africa: Stitching a Fragmented Region Together
• 6. The Democratic Republic of the Congo: Constructing the State Bottom Up
• 7. Syria: Countering Sectarianism with Unifying Institutions
• 8. Somaliland: Reconnecting State and Society
• 9. Bolivia: Building Representative Institutions in a Divided Country
• 10. Pakistan: Redirecting a Countrys Trajectory
• 11. Azerbaijan: Pressing Reform on an Autocracy
• Index

PDF Catalogs:
Academic Library Fall 2008.pdf	PSI Catalog Fall 2008.pdf