"Globalization and interdependence have had a great impact on state sovereignty. Some states have lost their ability to provide for their citizens, sustain stable borders, prevent internal conflict, and deal with transnational terrorist networks. Labeled "failed states," they become the target of foreign intervention and preventative foreign policies. This book explains the causes and consequences of state failure by examining what constitutes a failed state and what is meant by institutional decay and by exploring the different types of institutional decay in terms of economic, military, political, and social institutions. It addresses failure in authoritarian states, its association with terrorism, its diffusion to other states, and the impact of regional challenges on state institutions. In addition to a comprehensive overview of the theories and models of state failure, this unique text features in-depth qualitative analyses, examples from around the developing world, and sidebars to clarify concepts and contexts. A synthesis of current research, it will offer students in comparative politics and international relations an invaluable contextual understanding of institutional decay, its roots, and consequences"--