Approaches to the root causes of state failure and collapse

Abstract

In the aftermath of the Cold War, failed states have increasingly been viewed as a cause for concern for the international system due to numerous humanitarian and security challenges they created. Since then, a variety of international responses have been attempted and proposed by the international community to address state failure. The ongoing nature of the phenomenon of state failure and security threats they cause prove that state failure is an entrenched problem for the 21st century. This thesis focuses on the analysis of root causes of state failure in the literature and examines different approaches to it. In doing so, it aims to make a comprehensive literature review categorized by historical, global political, individualcentered and critical approaches.