The Crisis of the State in the Islamic World Part One: Crises in Muslim Countries
Since the emergence of the modern nation-state, Muslim countries have undergone successive periods of change. Many have experienced conflict and warfare, resulting in widespread deaths and significant political and economic challenges across much of the Muslim world.
These countries were closer to stability, tranquillity, and prosperity when the modern nation-state first emerged under foreign-mandate rule and in the early years of independence that followed the end of that rule.
Over time, however, political, social, and economic conditions became increasingly unstable. Crises swept through these countries as military forces overthrew legitimate governments, deposed leaders elected through national processes, and seized control of political affairs, the economy, and public administration. These upheavals persisted until religious, sectarian, ethnic, tribal, and regional tensions reached a critical point, civil wars erupted, and state institutions collapsed across much of the Muslim world.
A discerning observer will find these countries in one of two states: they have either already descended into chaos and seen the modern nation-state collapse or are heading toward the same fate as countries where the bonds holding the state together have already unraveled.
This series examines the crises facing the majority of Muslim countries, from Indonesia to Senegal, and identifies their underlying causes. It then proposes solutions to these countries’ most intractable problems, exploring two contrasting conditions of the modern state in the Muslim world:
1- The modern state as a burden: it weighs heavily on Muslim countries, becoming an additional source of crises alongside their longstanding difficulties.
2- The modern state as a solution: Once the conditions necessary for the establishment of a modern state are fulfilled, these countries can overcome sectarian, ethnic, and regional conflicts. They will then achieve economic development, and a state founded on the rule of law will emerge.
Chapter One Beyond Conspiracy: The Historical and Structural Roots of State Crises in the Islamic World
Chapter 2: The Roots of State Crises in the Muslim World
Chapter 3: Pakistan