Implications of being failed : a study of Somalia as a "failed State" in the international community

Abstract: Somalia is by scholars viewed as the definition of a "failed State". Somalia has been without a central and efficient government since 1991 and is still troubled by internal fighting and the lack of central control over the means of violence. In 2004, the 14th attempt to establish a government since 1991 was initiated, this interim government had no civil service or government buildings and it faced a formidable task in bringing reconciliation to a country deeply divided. Its authority was further compromised in 2006 by the rise of The Union of Islamic Courts who gained control of much of the south, including the capital. The present international system, composed for the most part of sovereign, territorial States, is often viewed as the inevitable outcome of historical development. State as we today know it has its origin in the Treaty of Westphalia signed in 1648 following the Thirty Years War. States that are not possible to provide the duties stated in the Treaty are frequently being referred to as weak, collapsed or failed and they posses a problem for the international community as a whole. The purpose of this paper is to examine some of the implications that being "failed" has for a State in the international community. In particularly I examine Somalia and how the international community has treated Somalia as a "failed" State. I believe that the international community plays a big role in what implications being "failed" have for a State.