To label the country a failed state is to suggest it is a wholly collapsed state — along the lines of Yemen or Syria. But it also does a disservice to the millions of people who get up every morning to make the country work, writes TBakerDavies.
Two intense arguments have dominated the news and discourse in South Africa for several weeks: whether we should extend the life of ancient coal-fired power stations to help alleviate load-shedding, and whether the country is a “failed state”.The former question warrants no debate.
“Failed state” entered the political lexicon of the US in the 1990s. It was used to describe Somalia after the 1991 coup that deposed dictator Siad Barre, leading to warring among the country’s clans and a descent into anarchy that embroiled the Americans in the disastrous battle of Mogadishu. The term gained further traction after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, because of the threat that “failed states” such as Afghanistan posed to the security of the US.
Call argues that the concept is a fallacy, “and should be abandoned except insofar as it refers to wholly collapsed states, where no authority is recognisable either internally to a country’s inhabitants or externally to the international community”. These people are also extremely frustrated with the incompetence, inhumanity and greed of our leaders. But they still get up every morning to go to work — if they are lucky enough to have a job — or to school or university, or to play a role in their communities, paid or unpaid.
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