Failed States

Donald Sensing points out Ralph Peters' 1998 article in Parameters, the Army War College Quarterly, identifying the seven characteristics that non-competitive states have in common. In summary:

These key "failure factors" are:

1. Restrictions on the free flow of information.
2. The subjugation of women.
3. Inability to accept responsibility for individual or collective failure.
4. The extended family or clan as the basic unit of social organization.
5. Domination by a restrictive religion.
6. A low valuation of education.
7. Low prestige assigned to work.

An interesting read. Posted by richard at March 27, 2004 07:53 PM