failed statenoun [ C ]
uk/ˌfeɪld ˈsteɪt/us/ˌfeɪld ˈsteɪt/a country whose government is considered to have failed at some of its basic responsibilities, for example keeping the legal system working correctly, and providing public services (= electricity, water, education, hospitals, etc.):
Failed states are increasingly trapped in a cycle of poverty and violence.
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International relations: international politics & government
- accession
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- the new world order
- the North-South divide
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