With an emphasis on Afghanistan, Grant Curtis looks at “failed states” and how the international community attempts to rebuild them.
“My research examines how the international community has attempted to bolster failed states, with particular attention to why such efforts have been largely unsuccessful.”
At one time, economics was considered “the dismal science.” Today, in the midst of crisis and chaos, the realm of political science seems even more gloomy by comparison. In the past year alone, there have been military coups in Myanmar, Mali, Guinea, and Sudan – and with attempted coups in several other countries, including former […]
Sense is any of the means by which living beings perceive the physical world. As children we were were schooled in our five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Sensibility, on the other hand, refers to the ability to sense, feel, or perceive and thus has a high emotional quotient, including the capacity for […]
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) provided those directly or indirectly affected by the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools system with an opportunity to reflect on their experiences. In addition to documenting the historical record of the residential schools, the TRC hosted seven national events across Canada where former students and their families were […]
Note: This blog was prepared end-August 2021 and is certain to be superseded by further fast-changing events in Afghanistan. In the two decades since the American-led ouster of the Taliban regime, events in Afghanistan have frequently dominated the news headlines. President Biden’s April 2021 announcement that all American troops would withdraw from Afghanistan no later […]
This article was originally published in the Conversation Canada on August 9, 2021. Art has the power to provoke enhanced awareness of social issues that can lead to social change — not only publicly commissioned works, but graffiti-esque street art too. Two of the best examples of what’s known as “artivism” are the sometimes whimsical, […]
“Nexus” is one of those words that is somewhat easy to define, but then expands to present more difficult conceptual challenges. Stemming from the Latin nectere meaning “to bind,” a nexus is a connection or link, a causal connection, or a connected series or set of relationships. A spider web is a kind of nexus. […]
It is now commonplace to describe countries facing protracted civil conflict, degrading levels of poverty and inequality, or economic or political collapse as failed states. But how do we gauge or measure such fragility? The Fragile States Index, compiled annually by the US-based Fund for Peace, examines the risk of countries becoming “failed states” by […]
Over the past several months the notion of “failed states” has gained renewed currency. Scenes of an unruly mob breaking its way into the US Capitol buildings on January 6 led to semi-hysterical comment about “the death of US democracy.” A February 1 military coup in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, ended what was hoped […]
The two articles, juxtaposed on the newspaper’s front page, couldn’t be more divergent. “Mars rover landing: NASA’s Perseverance touches down safely in search of life” details the arrival on Mars of “the most advanced astrobiology laboratory ever sent to another world.” The article presents the Perseverance mission as an inspirational story of human ingenuity, of […]
As someone who studies failed states, it has been exhausting living next to the American carnival. The incessant braying of the lion-maned, tiger-hued barker; the marquee lights distracting from tawdry set stages; the never-ending parade of hucksters and kewpie dolls; the ever-to-be-disappointed promises of a country returned to greatness. The carnival’s midway has afforded the […]
