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Fragile States/Fragile Families

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In Washington DC, a city consumed by headline stories, Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace this past week teamed up to give an in-depth look at the stories behind all the conflicts and civil wars. The 2014 Fragile States Index (FSI), previously called the Failed States Index, gives an insider's look at the factors contributing to political and social breakdown.

Behind every country that erupts into civil war, falls victim to famine or flubs in respond to a natural disaster is a government that has failed to protect its citizens. Such failures rarely arise overnight. They give plenty of warning signs, and the FSI identifies and analyzes them in hopes of strengthening these "fragile" states, preventing humanitarian disasters and building a country's resilience in the face of conflict, climate change and other threats.

Governments can "fail" in numerous respects. They can fuel ethnic division, perpetuate corruption and economic inequality, abuse human rights, neglect basic services or squander human capital. And when they do, their countries become "fragile," meaning they become far more susceptible to conflict, civil war, drought and other humanitarian disasters.



There are many factors that distinguish these "fragile" states from one another, but almost without exception they are all struggling to cope with rapid population growth. Rapid population growth can overwhelm a government's ability to tackle chronic hunger, severe poverty, environmental degradation, political unrest and the depletion of water, forests and other resources.



Some of the world's most fragile states -- including Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Jordan -- consume 80 percent of more their renewable water resources every year, and yet their populations are projected to increase by 80 percent of more by 2050. No one knows how these countries will meet the anticipated demand for water resources.


The FSI is a crucial start, but it's time for a much larger debate about fragile countries and what can be done to strengthen them. Fragile states rarely receive the assistance they need until they become humanitarian disasters. If made in time, small investments -- including investments in family planning and gender equality -- can pay big dividends.