Why Do “Failed States” Exist?

The concept of a “failed state” presents theoretical and empirical problems due to definitional complexity and the insufficient precision given to identifying a failed state. Moreover, the political ramifications of the term threaten countries labeled this way. Such propositions guide The Ideology of Failed States, an in-depth investigation into the role that labels play in the relationship between states and institutions. In this book, Woodward criticizes international institutions and the interventionist model of “failed states” they employ for sustaining the existing ideology surrounding the term. Her analysis of social reality—a reflection of why and how names matter in the international system—centers on the notion that the “failed state” concept is not only controversial but also needs to be deconstructed constantly. This entails understanding how failed states are framed, considering three core aspects: what ideology governs failed states, what sustains that ideology, and why intervention rooted in that ideology fails. The central argument of the book—that “failed state” is not merely a simple label but rather an ideology—builds on Appleby (1978), who considers ideology to be the process of establishing a set of beliefs and perceptions with regard to a specific reality. Woodward argues that “failed state” works as an ideology because institutions, motivated by their beliefs and perceptions, apply their institutional policy agendas to countries that receive the “failed state” label due to a “need to accomplish their own organization mandates and goals” (7–8). At the same time, international institutions provide shared meaning and enable social action around it, making ideology a co-constitutive practice among different actors and levels. It is worth noting, however, that ideology does not function as a granted, determined, positivist assumption but rather is something constructed constantly through the engagement of local, national, and international actors as they address and (re)solve their issues of concern.