CIAO DATE: 09/2011
July 2011
Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre
The “fragile states” concept is widely used in peacebuilding and statebuilding. Yet the term itself, as well as its use, is the topic of considerable debate. There is no internationally agreed definition of what is meant by fragile states. The term encompasses a number of partially overlapping yet distinct notions and labels. The models that are used to identify, measure, and monitor fragility often compare countries and situations that are so heterogeneous that the value of such comparisons is not clear.
Resource link: Fragile states: a fluid concept for peacebuilding and statebuilding [PDF] - 616K