State Failure in the Middle East: Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen (Europa Regional Perspectives)

The collapse of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria begs the question as to why that country so lacked institutional and organized capacity that the Syrian state melted away.In neighbouring Lebanon, the state has been absent in any meaningful sense for much of the country’s independent history, while powerful sectarian interest groups dominate governance and maintain their own armed options.In Iraq, the state has collapsed twice since the US-led invasion of 2003 and is currently existing in parallel with armed sectarian militias whose political wings utilize governmental apparatus to further their narrow interests.In Yemen, there is no single state encompassing its internationally recognized boundaries, but instead there are three competing authorities ruling different parts of the country. This book assesses why the state is failing in these four particular cases and, where relevant, examines common explanatory themes, while remaining mindful of each country’s distinct domestic and