Krasner - State sovereignty and imperialism

What does Krasner argue about the relationship between legal sovereignty and effective governance?

That the belief that legal sovereignty guarantees good governance is false and separately poor governance endangers international interests.

When does external help to failing states work, according to Krasner?

Only when local leaders are willing to cooperate with external actors.

What are the two solutions Krasner proposes for dealing with collapsed or failing states?

(1) De facto trusteeship (2) Shared sovereignty e.g. transitional governments

What is a de facto trusteeship or protectorate?

When an external actor assumes long-term control over key functions of a state, sometimes overriding its legal sovereignty.

What are the risks associated with trusteeship?

Risk of neocolonialism and a lack of clear exit strategy for the external actor.

What example does Martin Indyk give to support trusteeship?

A proposed UN-backed protectorate in Palestine, led by the U.S., to stabilize governance until a responsible government is formed.

Why is trusteeship unlikely to gain support?

Powerful states are reluctant to implement it, and weak states resist losing autonomy.

What is shared sovereignty in Krasner's terms?

Joint control over key institutions or resources by external and domestic actors, while formally retaining international legal sovereignty.

How does shared sovereignty challenge traditional Westphalian norms?

Violates principle of non-intervention by allowing external actors inside domestic governance.

What are examples of shared sovereignty from history?

1881 Ottoman-European agreement and Soviet influence over Eastern Bloc countries.

What international mechanism can support shared sovereignty?

Institutions like the World Bank managing resources to prevent misuse by elites.

Why might local political leaders accept shared sovereignty?

To boost their credibility with voters and break from ineffective governance.

What are the three forms of sovereignty discussed by Krasner?

International legal, Westphalian/Vatellian, and domestic sovereignty.

What does international legal sovereignty refer to?

Recognition of juridically independent territorial entities by other states.

What is Westphalian (or Vatellian) sovereignty?

The principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states

Sovereignty

Defined as the ability to control actors and institutions within and across its borders. (Thompson J, 1995)

Give an example where international recognition exists but domestic sovereignty does not.

Somalia – recognized internationally but has not had a functional central government since 1991, with current federal government facing many challenges.

What are some examples of collapsed states in the 1990s?

Afghanistan, Liberia, Congo, and Sierra Leone.

What forms of state failure are identified by the State Failure Task Force?

Adverse regime change, ethnic war, revolutionary war, and genocide.

What conditions increase the risk of internal conflict?

Poverty, recent decolonization, large population, and mountainous terrain

Why might leaders prefer disorder?

They can extract the countries resources more easily and avoid accountability.

Failling states may

Access to WMDs (chemical, biological, nuclear) by state and non-state actors.

How did Taliban governance demonstrate this risk?

The Taliban harbored Al-Qaida, directly threatening global security.

What dilemma do human rights abuses create for powerful democracies?

They force uncomfortable political choices about whether or how to intervene e.g. the Rwandan genocide.

What is governance assistance?

Efforts to build state capacity through training, reforms, and transparency improvements.

Why does governance assistance often fail?

It’s misaligned with local needs, hampered by corrupt leadership, and distorted by donor interests

What is a transitional administration?

Temporary governance by external actors (often the UN) to rebuild institutions and prepare for self-rule.

Challenges faced by transitional administrations

They often fail when local factions disagree on goals or when leaders prioritize political gain over institution-building. They are more likely to succeed when local actors already agree on fundamental goals, as seen in East Timor, while places like Bosnia were fragmented.

Transitional governments successes & failures

1. Bosnia - unsuccessful due to UN peacekeepers unable to deescalate the situation and unable to protect the safe zone leading to a massacre of civilians

2. East timor - UNTAET was able to establish peace and develop the country democratically & infrastructurally

3. Namibia - success due to broad agreement between all factions and UN mission was accepted by all