Ungoverned Spaces? Alternatives to State Authority in an Era of Softened Sovereignty.

"Ungoverned spaces" are increasingly cited as a key threat to the U.S. government and itsinterests throughout the world. Often these spaces are seen as synonymous with failed states, orstates that are unable to effectively exercise sovereignty. A primary goal of U.S. defense strategynow is to improve "effective sovereignty" in such areas, in order to deny sanctuary to terrorists,WMD proliferators, narco-traffickers, and gangsters. According to the World Bank, in 2006 thenumber of states lacking effective sovereignty rose to twenty-six, from eleven in 1996. Thelarger project that this paper is part of proposes to analyze the concept of ungoverned spaces anddetermine whether they really are ungoverned and constitute threats to states. The essential issue,we find, is not lack of governance, but rather who governs these spaces. This paper aims todevelop a more accurate framework for understanding contemporary security threats in a worldof softened sovereignty. An improved understanding of when and how alternative forms ofgovernance shelter or encourage hostile non-state actors has important policy implications forhow states, particularly the United States, prioritize their responses to emerging threats. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]