The University of La Verne College of Law presents What Makes States Successful? Afghanistan and the Future of State Building April 15-17, 2010.
State failure is one of the most challenging public policy problems of our age. Despite the pressures of globalization on the autonomy of states, they remain the most important locations of institutions to promote justice and the welfare of the peoples of the world. States are vital to maintaining peace and security across the globe. We need states to succeed. But they sometimes fail. Why? And how do we turn failed states into successful states? This symposium examines these questions with a four-fold focus. First, the focus is on state failure that is either caused by or is in some way related to armed conflict within a state, either from a civil war or from armed intervention by intervening states, United Nations Security Council action, or otherwise. Second, the focus is on institutional solutions to state failure, with an emphasis on rule of law. Third, the focus is on developing action plans or protocols containing concrete solutions to help failed states become successful states. Fourth, the symposium focuses on Afghanistan. Afghanistan provides a rich source of data and experience on what works and what fails, although Afghanistan remains very much a work in progress. An important symposium aim is to produce policy guidance for future directions in that country. The symposium approach is multi-disciplinary, with the goal of learning from a diversity of views.
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