State legitimacy and Third World conflicts

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.13169/jglobfaul.9.1.0069
• Pages: 69-82
• Published date: 30 March 2022
• Date: 30 March 2022
• Author: Waheed A. Khan
• Subject Matter: state legitimacy,regional security issues,weak states,the process of nation-building,link between domestic politics and foreign policy

Journal of Global Faultlines, 2022

Vol. 9, No. 1, 69—82.

69

State legitimacy and Third World conflicts

Waheed A. Khan1

Abstract

Dealing with the post-World War II security issues, in this article I outline an approach

that takes into account the context of the weak states in Third World environments. In this

respect, first of all I make a case that domestic politics should be factored in the security

concerns of states. Especially in the Third World context domestic political and social

dissentions become key factors in defining foreign policy behavior of such states. Secondly,

I highlight regional context, especially unstable regional conditions, regional hierarchies,

and other factors that contribute to conflict propensities of states situated in the Third

World environments. Finally, I make a case that, compared to democracy, legitimacy is a

better variable to explain the link between domestic politics and foreign policy behavior of

the Third World states. Legitimacy is not only value-neutral variable, but can also be applied

across time and place.

Keywords: state legitimacy, regional security issues, weak states, the process of nation-

building, link between domestic politics and foreign policy

Introduction

In the post-World War II scenario most conflicts and wars take place in the Third World, and

so factors unique to Third World must be taken into account. In this context, domestic poli-

tics is identified as the most important factor in the security conceptions of the Third World

states. Domestic politics is important in advanced-industrial countries as well, but the differ-

ence is that in Third World countries the domestic arena is also conf lictual and internal secu-

rity problems are prevalent due to ethnic, religious, or regional differences. In other words,

their own national integrity is at stake and becomes the dominant theme in their security

conceptions. Another unique factor of the Third World states is that due to contested territo-

ries and porous borders, regional considerations figure prominently. For this reason, regional

hierarchies, regional power struggles, and regional insecurities are also important in the case

of Third World states. Overall, in this paper it is argued that domestic politics of the states

and regional environments must be dealt with when theorizing about international conflicts.

As states in Third World suffer from weaker social and political fabric and they reside in

neighborhoods of other states that suffer from similar problems, such states are more prone

to interstate conflicts.

After reviewing the literature that highlights the above-mentioned factors unique to

the Third World, namely domestic politics and regional context, I see if the assumptions

and conclusions drawn from the democratic peace theory could be applicable to the Third

World. It is important to deal with this literature because democratic peace theory is the

dominant approach that connects domestic political concerns to the foreign policy behavior

of the states. In looking at the application of the democratic peace theory to the Third

World situations, a lot of substantive and theoretical problems were identified. Most impor-

tant of them was that a lot of Third World states (especially those involved in interstate

conflicts) have hard time meeting preconditions of democracy because of their precarious

political conditions. In order to come up with a concept that could be applied across time

DOI:10.13169/jglobfaul.9.1.0069