Weak and Failed States: A Challenge for US National Security

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Introduction

Security is vital to every nation throughout the globe. This is mainly because it ensures safety to all. All countries recruit, train, and assemble forces to protect their territories, properties, and citizens. In addition, peace of the world lies in having strong governments that can control their citizens. In this regard, failed States, as well as weak ones present threats to global security.

United States has been on the forefront in pushing for global security with a view to making the world a safer place. In doing so, they have invested extensively in stationing equipment, network and security facilities aimed at maintaining security throughout the world.

In addition, they have continued to invest heavily in liaison with other European nations, to support peaceful international. Moreover, their donations throughout the world have continued to support economies of poor nations.

Of great concern is the fact that weak and failed States increase security risks in the world. This paper will try to explore the effects of weak and failed States on US national security (US Joint Forces Command, 2010, 2).

Security

Security if is of great essence to every individual, entity and country. This is mainly because it ensures their very existence and survival. It also ensures that their rights to property and movement, among others, are maintained. Security can be described as the ability to protect an individual, entity, property or an organization. For security to be ensued, several strategies need to be put in place.

These include identifying threats to security, laying down measures to counter such threats, and providing the necessary resources and manpower for effecting security. United States has been in the forefront in ensuring global security. This shows how serious they are with security issues in the country. It also follows a series of threats that have caused great concern, especially those emerging from failed States as well as weak ones.

In this regard, the country has set up strategies to assist weak States in ensuring these threats are submerged. In addition, the country is working to ensure security is stepped up in failed States, as this promotes regional security as well as United States national security (US Joint Forces Command, 2010, 2).

United States National security

United States has faced several threats to its national security over the years. These ranges from Japanese attacks in world war one, as well as continued threats caused by terrorists who mainly reside in politically unstable countries. The latest concerns have been threats from terrorists who inflicted their most severe attack during September 11 bombing of Twin Towers and the Pentagon.

The bombing caused loss of lives to majority of American citizens in and around those areas. Investigations from CIA and other security organizations such as FBI linked the attacks to terrorists who have found havens in weak as well as failed States.

In addition, countries such as Somalia, where no single government is in place, serve as possible hideouts for perpetrators of atrocities and terrorists. The FBI and CIA are working round the clock to ensure that these threats are minimized. To achieve this, they use varied mechanisms due to the varied nature of these threats (Troxell, 2008, 209-234).

Some of the methods employed by United States to ensure national security include constant reviews on immigration policies to seal any loopholes that may be considered by terrorists. They have also stationed solders in almost every part of the world. These stations are strategically located to maximize security in countries experiencing wars, political, economic as well as internal instability.

They have therefore invested massively on them with a view to gaining political, military, social, economic mileage in order to promote stability and security for all. In the process, the country has acquired enemies with extremist ideas. These include people like the late Osama Bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network.

Strategies as those initiated by CIA worked successfully to nail al-Qaeda and their cronies. It is quite important to note that such networks and extremists find it easy to stay in unstable countries that are in political turmoil (Nation, 2008, 163-174).

Weak and failed States

A State can be considered as weak if it does not enforce its laws as required. This may happen in situations where there is a governing system with weak policies to counter security threats. In addition, a country may have the facilities required for such purposes but still lack the goodwill especially when the governing party fancies threats against United States.

A good example is Iran, whose president has continually accused United States of supporting atrocities against Palestinian State by supporting Israel. This is clearly a weak State since the governing body is unwilling to support global peace. On the other hand, we have failed States.

These States cannot manage themselves, and therefore harbor threats to national security. This may be attributed to political instability as is seen in the case of Somalia. Moreover, countries experiencing constant internal conflicts and rebels against the regime find themselves considered as failed states (Murphy, 2008, 175-188).

Weak States have been noted to provide safe havens for potential threats to United States national security. In fact, as was witnessed in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime, several terrorists went on hiding in the country. Such States are known to harbor terrorists and extremists who pose challenge to United States national security. It is very clear that the extremists require resources to fund their plans.

It is also quite important to note that such plans cannot continue in strong States. For this reason, they opt to conduct such activities in weak and failed States. The current activities conducted in Somalia have made it unstable for the past decades.

These activities are aimed at aiding terrorists like Al Shabaab, to take power and force more threats to individuals, entities, as well as countries that do not follow their extremisms (Joint Publication 1, 2007, 2).

How these states are a challenge to US National security

Having discussed weak and failed as given above, it is quite clear that availability of such States pose a great challenge to United States national security. For instance, the more the States (weak and failed States), the worse the security risk for American citizens as well as other countries.

When such States are allowed to coexist with others, terrorists will continue to intensify their threats and eventually cause instability in stable States. US security organizations have employed several strategies, which include diplomatic measures to avert threats to its nationals. Presence of weak and failed States poses great challenge to military and diplomatic strategies applied by the agencies to combat terrorism.

This is mainly because apart from harboring terrorist and extremists, those countries are agents of such challenges. Moreover, such countries do not have the capability or are unwilling to assist in tracking such activities. This is quite challenging to United States agencies in their quest to maintain security in the country (Forsyth, 2010, 1)

Realism

In trying to understand human nature, it is quite important to consider realism. People have different views and ideas. Furthermore, they possess different drives that lead them to varying actions. Realism is a term commonly utilized in international politics. It refers to a theoretical tradition, which explores international politics and its relation to human nature.

According to Thucydides, men are driven by many things due to human nature (Ferraro, 2003, 12-19). He goes on to state that human nature makes people to think and act outside the laid laws of humanity. In fact, he refers to such people as those under fire. The two drives he proposes are passion and reasoning.

Under normal circumstances people reason, but when passion is added to the drive, then passion takes center stage as the main drive. An individual in this state is highly likely to cause conflict and war. For this reason, realism is faulted for uncontrollable wars and conflicts against the United States.

Extremists possess both passion and reasoning, but allow passion to control them; in the process, they cause unimaginable damages in the name of justice or sometimes religion. Such drives are of great challenge to the United States national security, especially when allowed to breed in failed and weak States (Cronin, 2009, 97-118).

How the United States apply instruments of power (military, economics, information, and politics) to address security challenge

The United States has employed several techniques to curb threats from enemies, and potential enemies, as well as terrorists, among others. They have employed the use of military, politics, information, economics, among other methods to tackle threats and potential dangers to its nationals as well as properties.

Military action has been the main method employed by United States to address security challenges in weak and failed States (Fendrick, 2008, 189-194). For instance, the recent killing of Osama Bin Laden was the work military options as they moved to assist Pakistan in dealing with terrorists. Other military activities have been witnessed in the past and present war in Libya.

In essence, the country has military presence in almost every part of the world. Economics has been another major avenue for addressing challenges to security. For instance, the country has continually donated money to weak and failed States like Pakistan, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, among others, to enable them strengthen their security levels and economies.

Provision of information, training, and other facilities has also enabled prevention of threats to national security (Chun, 2008, 249-260). This is evident in programs conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan where solders are trained and informed on ways of reasoning.

Moreover, the country works to create awareness on security issues as well as need for peace in the world. Politics has also played a major role in addressing as well as redressing challenges to national security. To achieve this, United States government has always worked to support like-minded political parties throughout the world to minimize threats to security (Center for Naval Analysis, 2007, 24).

Conclusion

Security is vital to every nation. Countries recruit, train, and assemble forces to provide security for their territories, properties, and citizens. United States has faced several threats to its national security over the years. These ranges from Japanese attacks in world war one, as well as continued threats caused by terrorists who mainly reside in politically unstable countries.

The latest concerns have been threats from terrorists who inflicted their most severe attack during September 11 bombing of the Pentagon (Bruton, 2009, 79-94). According to Thucydides, men are driven by many things due to human nature. He goes on to state that human nature makes people to think and act outside the laid laws of humanity.

This has been faulted for aggression and extremism that is usually directed towards western nations, and most especially, the United States. United States has employed several techniques to curb threats from enemies, and potential enemies, as well as terrorists, among others.

They have employed the use of military, politics, information, economics, among other methods to tackle threats and potential dangers to its nationals as well as properties. However, military action has been the main method employed by United States to address security challenges in weak and failed States (Ackerman, Barak, and Young, 2010, 22).

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