The College of Political Science at the University of Baghdad discussed a thesis entitled “Local Governance in Fragile States: Yemen after 2011 as a Model” by the student “Russell Hussein Aliwi”.
The thesis deals with fragile states, which is usually weak in local governance, widespread corruption, and political and security instability. Yemen after 2011 is an interesting model in this regard. After the Yemeni revolution in 2011 AD and the toppling of the former Yemeni president (Ali Abdullah Saleh), the Yemeni state began to suffer from an exacerbation of economic, political, and security crises, and power was divided between the legitimate government and the Houthi group, which seized control of the capital Sanaa, and parts of the country. Since then, Yemen has suffered from instability, civil war, worsening poverty, hunger, diseases, and the collapse of basic services, as well as the exacerbation of corruption, and lack of security and stability in local areas, which made local governance weak and ineffective in providing basic services for citizens. Simultaneously, various armed groups spread in local areas and some of them rule parts of the country, making the legitimate government unable to impose its authority on all Yemeni lands. In light of these conditions, it can be said that local governance in Yemen after 2011 is weak and unable to provide basic services, protect the people, and restore stability to the country, which confirms the importance of strengthening local governance in decision-making. Local governance capabilities must be reinforced , empowering it to provide basic services, managing citizens affairs effectively, providing the necessary support for the development of local institutions and promoting transparency and combating corruption, as well as empowering civil society and non-governmental organizations to contribute to humanitarian and developmental work.
At the end of the viva, the researcher was awarded a high degree “very good” wishing all our students success in their academic and practical lives.
