Starting with the question of what a “state” actually is by definition, this talk addresses various concepts of “state failure”. Generally put, the term “failed state” refers to a state that has “failed” in the sense that it is not able to fulfill its essential functions. These basic functions include, in particular, the state’s monopoly on the use of force and the maintenance of public order. In weak and collapsed states, those functions that are usually associated with state activity can either never be fully assumed by the state or are transferred to non-state actors in a completely unintentional and unplanned fashion. These processes lead to the disintegration of the state apparatus and the drastic shattering of social cohesion, coupled with a strong increase in the importance of sub-state structures and groups. Based on 12 categories (with the state monopoly on the use of force at the top) and two groups of categories (with six and five categories respectively), this talk develops an analytical framework for the situation in Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan between 1987 and 2022. These states are then assessed on the basis of empirical data from international organizations and NGOs. The central aim of the study is to determine the extent to which separatism in certain former Soviet republics (Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan) has contributed to state failure.
Martin Malek is an independent political scientist. Born in 1965, he graduated from the University of Vienna in 1991, before completing several internships in research institutes and think tanks in Germany, Russia, Ukraine, the U.S., Switzerland, and Austria (Vienna). In 2002, he served as scientific assistant to the military attaché at the Austrian embassy in Moscow. His areas of interest and expertise include: theories of state failure, separatism, and ethnic conflict; security and military policy in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)—especially Russia, Ukraine, and the South Caucasus; post-Soviet language policy; the military-industrial complex and arms trade in post-Soviet republics; relations between NATO, the CIS and the EU; and Eurasian energy policy. He has written and edited several books and some 300 articles, published in a dozen countries. Malek has taught at several universities in Austria and abroad.
Clemena Antonova, IWM Research Director of the The World in Pieces Program, will moderate the discussion.
