Nation-building in failed states: The United States' experiences in Germany and Iraq

A failed state is a state that can no longer perform its basic security and development functions and that has no effective control over its territory and borders, which bears humanitarian and security consequences. These consequences adversely affect not only a failed state itself and its immediate region but also the wider international sphere. This thesis will compare and evaluate conceptual and operational responses by the United States to the tasks of nation-building and reconstruction in the past and the present. The post-World War II occupation of Germany set the standard for contemporary international efforts in post-conflict nation-building and reconstruction, which has not been matched since. The recent U.S. intervention in Iraq and its inability to produce peace, security and economic progress raise serious questions about the viability and effectiveness of the German model of nation-building.;This thesis examines the nature of contemporary failed states and international responses employing nation-building approaches. Using the postwar reconstruction of Germany as a historical and policy model, I evaluated the U.S. approach to nation-building in Iraq. These cases demonstrated that the German model of nation-building is not suitable to address the particular challenges posed by contemporary failed states. As such, the thesis will highlight the difficult policy and value choices and consequences that continue to face the U.S. and international agencies responsible for promoting peace and development in post-conflict countries.;...