Regional ımpacts of failed states: ınteraction of Afghanistan and Pakistan

Due to the fact that terrorism is highlighted among the international problems after 9/11 attacks, states in which those terrorist activities emerge grow and state control is lost, are brought to international community?s agenda. Each nation-state has responsibilities before the people who lived in its territory. Nonfulfillment of these responsibilities creates state failure concept. The aim of this dissertation is to ascertain if failed states are the infection of others or not by pointing out their importance in regional security. Accordingly the security, economic and social impacts of failure are presented. It is detected by referring contagion and diffusion theories that these affects primarily influence neighboring states in which socio-cultural interaction level is high. Moreover, it is determined that the probability of the problems, such as inner conflicts, political uprisings and refugee flows occurring in an unstable state, to be seen in neighboring states is notably high. Finally, within the scope of case study, Afghanistan and Pakistan are examined. It is also confirmed that, especially ethnic and religious relations between two nations increase interaction level which lead Afghanistan to effect on Pakistan.Key Words: Failed States, Failed States Index, Regional Security, Afghanistan, Pakistan