Challenges to state control of territory: Comparative analysis of Yemen, Afghanistan and Myanmar
| DOI | 10.1177/20578911211004775 |
| Published date | 01 March 2022 |
| Date | 01 March 2022 |
| Author | Sumedha Korishetti |
| Subject Matter | Research articles |
Research article
Challenges to state control
of territory: Comparative
analysis of Yemen,
Afghanistan and Myanmar
Sumedha Korishetti
Sumedha Korishetti, Christ (Deemed to be University), India
Abstract
States around the world have lost control over their territory to armed non-state actors, including
states like Yemen, Afghanistan and Myanmar in the Asian region. This article aims to understand
why these states are unable to exercise control over all of their territory. The study identifies and
examines four major challenges faced by states in maintaining control over their territory – lack of
state legitimacy and effectiveness, strategic motives of armed non-state actors, socio-economic
motives of armed non-state actors and external intervention. A comparative analysis of the cases
of Yemen, Afghanistan and Myanmar illustrates the wide relevance of these challenges faced by the
states with respect to territorial control.
Keywords
Afghanistan, armed non-state actor s, external intervention, failed sta te, insurgency, Myanmar,
state legitimacy, territorial sovereignty, Yemen
Introduction
A state is considered to be made up of four main components – population, territory, government
and sovereignty (Grant, 1998). All of these four elements are crucial in defining a state. In this
article, I focus on the element of territory. Territory is defined as a geographical area that is
controlled or over which the state exercises its power (Moore, 2020). But as seen around the world
in contemporary times, many states do not have control over all of their claimed territory. They
have ‘lost’ parts of their territory to other states as well as non-state actors.
Corresponding author:
Sumedha Korishetti, Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, Christ (Deemed to be University),
Hosur Road, Bengaluru- 560029, Karnataka, India.
Emails: sumedhakorishetti@gmail.com; sumedha.korishetti@law.christuniversity.in
Asian Journal of Comparative Politics
ªThe Author(s) 2021
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/20578911211004775
journals.sagepub.com/home/acp
2022, Vol. 7(1) 115–131
In this article, we look at three countries from the different regions of Asia – Yemen from West
Asia, Afghanistan from South Asia and Myanmar from Southeast Asia. All of these states have lost
control over significant parts of their territory to various armed non-st ate actors. The present
situation in Yemen, Afghanistan and Myanmar all demonstrate that when states have lost control
over parts of their own territory instability sets in, leading to the ‘malfunctioning’ of a state. These
states are often termed as ‘failed states’ or ‘failing states’ because they are incapable of carrying
out their affairs as an ideal ‘state’ should.
This study does not delve into examining whether the states of Yemen, Afghanistan and
Myanmar are failed states or not; it rather focuses on understanding the reasons why these states
fail in the territorial aspect of statehood. The primary objective of this article is to understand why
these states are unable to exercise control over all of their territory. To do so, the article will
identify certain common challenges faced by states in controlling their territory. It will then
examine and compare these challenges in the cases of Yemen, Afghanistan and Myanmar.
In addressing the research question of why the state is unable to control its territory, the study
has used a comparative approach. The cases of Yemen, Afghanistan and Myanmar are compared
and analysed in the context of an analytical framework. The author has applied the qualitative
research method by analysing existing data on (a) the various challenges that hinder the state from
controlling its territory, and (b) the three cases – Yemen, Afghanistan and Myanmar – carefully
selected from the three areas of West Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia respectively. The data
analysed has been collected extensively from two major sources – primary and secondary sources.
Primary sources used in this study include data from reports, datasets, agreements, memoirs, press
releases, joint statements, letters and other communications by government agencies, non-profit
organizations, research institutes and news agencies. Secondary sources used include books,
monographs, news articles, journal articles and other scholarly articles by research organizations,
news agencies and think tanks.
Analytical framework
In Yemen, Afghanistan and Myanmar, the state has lost control over significant parts of its territory
to insurgents or armed groups who now govern those areas. Despite the prolonged efforts and
struggle by the states for stability, these states continue to fail in regaining control over their ‘lost’
territories. We can identify four important determinants which contribute to the question of a
state’s failure in exercising control over all of its territory:
1. lack of state legitimacy and effectiveness;
2. strategic motives of armed non-state actors;
3. socio-economic motives of armed non-state actors; and
4. external intervention.
Lack of state legitimacy and effectiveness is a key factor which contributes to a state’s failure in
controlling all of its territory. State legitimacy can be understood as popular acceptance of the
state’s right to rule over the people (Mcloughlin, 2015). That is to say, a state derives its legitimacy
from the support it receives from its population and this popular support is dependent on two
important criteria for a good government – effective functioning of state institutions and political
inclusivity (Mcloughlin and Haider, 2016). Therefore, if the state is unable to effectively carry out
its functions such as that of service delivery, while the same is being provided by an alternative
116 Asian Journal of Comparative Politics 7(1)
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