Resources > State Collapse and Domestic Devolution – Wicked Hybrid Conflicts
State Collapse and Domestic Devolution – Wicked Hybrid Conflicts
I. William Zartman
This case study presents the tumultuous history of the Central African Republic, Libya, Yemen, and Afghanistan which, despite clear differences, exhibit similar traits: a power vacuum created by the inefficiency of the State leads to power struggles among local figures, fueled by corruption, looting of natural resources, interethnic or intertribal fights, all the above being aroused by kinetic or non-kinetic actions by foreign actors. The case study demonstrates what happens when the State level is removed as a society governance mechanism. It casts a grim picture of what could happen if hybrid warfare techniques lead to the undermining of a whole State. The case is not a structured demonstration of coordinated hybrid warfare actions. Rather, it lists a series of events that may have been fueled by hybrid warfare techniques (corruption, disinformation or misinformation, cyber activities, etc.). It serves as a reflection on what happens when the State level of governance is removed, and how chaos may be created and perpetuated by internal and external forces.
State Collapse and Domestic Devolution – Wicked Hybrid Conflicts (PDF)
Additional teaching notes and materials available on Mitchell Hamline Open Access.