failed state

American  

noun

1. a nation in which the government has lost political authority and control and is unable to fulfill the basic responsibilities of a sovereign state.

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failed state British  

noun

1. a weak state where social and political structures have collapsed to the point where the government has little or no control

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Etymology

Origin of failed state

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

They claim they are revolutionaries battling a failed state, and defending the rights of minority Tutsis.

From BBC

The M23 says it is fighting to achieve better rights for the Tutsis, an ethnic minority group in DR Congo, and to bring order to a failed state.

From BBC

"We are not a failed state, we are a great state, we should love it and protect and build on all that's been achieved since independence to make it better still."

From BBC

If it was not already, Haiti is now perilously close to becoming a failed state.

From BBC

Maybe the most entwined with the mercenaries was Mali, where an ongoing Islamist insurgency, combined with multiple coups, had left an essentially failed state.

From BBC