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Fragile State(s)

OECD places Pakistan among fragile states went a recent story in the Dawn in February 2014. The report, Fragile States 2013: Resource Flows and Trends in a Shifting World, says Pakistan and six other countries were rated ‘high-risk’ and ‘non-cooperative jurisdictions’ by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF),
The OECD always has interesting reports and this one is no exception. But here's a critical analysis by Seth Kaplan that makes useful supplementary reading.
"The OECD definition depends too much on Western ideological conceptions of how states ought to work, and ignores inconvenient (to Western mindsets) factors such as identity and history—despite ample evidence from across the world that these latter factors are crucial."
"The International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding’s New Deal shows a much better understanding of what causes fragility, probably because it better reflects the opinions of fragile states and not just the notions of rich donors. Its focus on “legitimate politics (inclusive political settlements and conflict resolution); security; justice; economic foundations (employment and livelihoods); and revenues and services” (page 35) makes much more sense given the challenges fragile states face."
If this is of interest check out the book, Why Nations Fail, and the blog.

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