Map of Failed States (and the drug trade)

Source of the map: "Failed states: Fixing a broken world," The Economist, January 29th 2009.

This is a very useful map. The article suggests that the failed states are a major threat to their neighbors, and even to the security of the advanced developed nations. Of course, the misery of the citizens of the failed states is the best argument for the need for good governance.

The problem is of course that we don't seem very good at fixing failed states. Part of the problem is that the efforts to do so in the past were not supported for long enough, and the people who had some experience with the process have since retired, to be replaced by others who have not made all the mistakes necessary for the acquisition of knowledge.

Perhaps I am in a pessimistic mood, but I don't see much progress being made in repairing the failed states.