Description
Why States Recover: Changing Walking Societies into Winning Nations, From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe by Greg Mills is a work of non‑fiction that examines how countries that have experienced state failure can rebuild and stabilise. Drawing on fieldwork in more than thirty countries and incorporating interviews with political leaders and officials, Mills identifies patterns of collapse and recovery across regions including Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa, with case studies ranging from Afghanistan and Somalia to Zimbabwe and Kosovo. Rather than focusing solely on why states fail, the book emphasises the conditions and internal dynamics that enable recovery, asking what roles insiders and external actors can play in rebuilding governance, legitimacy and economic stability. By analysing diverse political, economic and social contexts, Mills provides insight into the causes of fragility and the processes that have supported successful reconstruction.
Why States Recover is aimed at readers interested in contemporary history, international relations, development policy, and comparative politics, offering a comprehensive and research‑based perspective on state resilience and transformation.
