failed state

noun

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

failed state

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

First recorded in 1990–95

This is the Mexico that has been called a “failed state” — most recently by Jose “Pepe” Mujica, the president of Uruguay.

The country is now set on a path towards becoming a failed state.

After all of its efforts to undermine the U.S. mission, Tehran now has a violent, semi-failed state right on its border.

Against Corruption—of the Democracy: Congress, Stockman believes, is a failed state.

This will turn Syria into a Somalia-like failed state and a battleground for a proxy war.

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