Why Nations Fail
*Writer’s Note: I use “America” and “United States of America” interchangeably in this essay.
WHAT CAUSES THE MOST POWERFUL NATIONS, KINGDOMS, AND EMPIRES TO FALL FROM GLORY?
To answer this question, many would point to the sociopolitical ramifications of ethnic conflict. In the wake of energy shortages and depleted natural resources, some would say environmental degradation. But then, ofcourse, we must all consider the role that faltering infrastructures, weak labor markets, war, and gender inequality play in a country’s demise.
Left undeterred, fractures in a nation’s foundation can cause seismic repercussions across social, economic, and political realms.
I am fascinated by the impediments to sustained success in postcolonial environments, as former colonies have a completely different foundation and sense of stability than former colonizers. Global economists and policymakers would be remiss to ignore the roles that colonialism, slavery, despotic regimes, and ethnic genocide play in the current disarray we see in the global economy today. My perspective as a Nigerian-American woman has made me hyper-aware of the manner in which the past can narrate the future when it comes to growth, development, and cultural evolution in both Nigeria and America.
Both countries (and former British colonies) intrigue me with their commonalities: they are two global powerhouses with bloodied pasts and a conflicted sense of patriotic identity. Though America is far from underdeveloped, its status as a postcolony remains the same. America’s revolution and declaration of independence in 1776 sparked the impetus for global democratic social experiments to take place years, decades, and even centuries later. Our forefathers’ conceptualizations of personal freedom, statehood, and political representation still lay a foundation from which activists, politicians, and community leaders draw inspiration today.
But, what happens when cracks begin to appear in that foundation?
I think of Nigeria’s status as one of Africa’s wealthiest countries, but also one of the most politically corrupt and socially volatile. When did our leaders sway from humanity to greed? I look at the current state of American democracy and I ask the same question. For worse, the similarities between Nigerian and American society in 2023 point to a dissolving middle class, the rise of despotic leadership, and waning efficacy of public infrastructures. In wake of soaring inflation, an unstable labor market, and concerning monetary and judicial decisions, many Americans have chosen the side of apolitical belief. Meaning, many Americans have unassumingly opted into a new status quo without interrogating how we can become better as a society. Of course, general frustrations still demand more from our leaders. But it is hard to expect sustainable improvements when mass media, partisan journalists, and oligarchic tech giants continue to dodge antitrust laws and walk the line of propaganda with little regard for young minds and the wellbeing of this nation. In this regard, America’s predicament draws an eerie parallel to the saga of Nigeria’s socio-political failures and abysmal civic integrity.
A colony that becomes a free nation-state is still merely an experiment until it gets it right.
Freedom is only as powerful as what we choose to do with it. It is not enough to brazenly move forward while stitches come undone in a nation’s fabric. The preservation of freedom, independence, and liberty for all is contingent upon our ability to assess the damage, and figure out how we got there in the first place. Then, it is up to us to craft a plan of repair and resilience. However, the goal must extend beyond reaching the same levels of greatness we attained before. Failures open the opportunity for progress. To that end, forward movement must signal a resolve to reach new heights and a dedication to being better than who we were before. There is no other way to advance as a nation.
WHAT FACTORS CAN WEAKEN A NATION STATE?
Quite a dense book, Why Nations Fail was a key resource during my undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Brown University. Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson penned vital literature for me to engage with early in my academic career, and I still draw upon their theories to inform my understanding of economic development and sociopolitical advancement in modern society.
Acemoglu and Robinson explain that, while economic institutions are critical in determining a country’s propensity for financial prosperity, political institutions ultimately lay the foundation for economic institutions to exist within a nation-state context. Why Nations Fail argues for the importance of political stability and inclusive political institutions that ignite innovation within their citizenship. It is when political institutions become extractive that economies suffer and growth diminishes.
Extractive institutions benefit at the expense of the rest of society, and leave the general polity destitute and searching for solutions in all the wrong places. Nigeria can be seen as a poster child for extractive political behavior, with government officials “chopping life” while publicly ignoring the gravity of their internal security challenges. I would not argue that America is as far gone, but I do wonder how our political leaders justify funding a foreign war against our long-time adversary while American citizens suffer from the ramifications of the government’s extreme financial negligence.
“Poor countries are poor because those who have the power make choices that create poverty.”
- Why Nations Fail
We can certainly deduce the interconnectedness of flawed political systems and economic uncertainty in democratic and capitalist nation-states. How can any free market truly pursue freedom of self-interest, freedom of consumption, and freedom of production if these processes are disrupted by a bureaucratic and misguided government? The invisible hand literally has no room to move if the notion of free consumption and production is continuously disrupted by political leaders who defend their monstrosities with partisan nonsense and public misinformation.
It is also of great concern to me how political parties–once judged by their data, their strategy, and their plans to better the health of the nation–now galvanize support by relying on antiquated identity politics and the vulnerabilities of the poor, and undereducated. Middle America and urban immigrant communities are not at war with each other, they are at war with politicians who capitalize off of their ignorance and utilize digital media to infiltrate their consciousness and influence their vote. If you think this is an extreme take, I encourage you to google the disturbing ads from the Georgia senate runoff campaigns of both Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock. I am genuinely alarmed by how much degradation and corruption has taken the stage in American politics. Unfortunately, this is now the name of the game. But, at what cost?
We have come a long way since Watergate, but I fear that it has also come with a sacrifice of the nation’s most vulnerable populations– the young, the poor, the disabled, and the elderly. When federal and state-wide policies enable sociopolitical disruptors to persist, it publicly signals weakness to adversaries in the global arena and loosens the camaraderie that must exist within a nation’s consciousness. When national unity falters, it becomes easier for civil unrest to rise. This physically manifests as heightened crime and increased domestic terrorism. We may compare Boko Haram with the sectors of the United States that hang onto illusions of supremacy as inspiration for destruction. The failure of both Nigerian and American politicians to defend civilian safety within their own borders has deepened a chasm that, once widened, is very difficult to come back from.
CAN NATIONS RECOVER FROM CIVIL UNREST AND ECONOMIC TURMOIL?
I believe that failing societies can resurrect themselves once they fully acknowledge their shortcomings, and once their resolution for change becomes stronger than their fractured parts. Gone are the days of homogenous nations that hinge their success upon expired ideas of normalcy, dictated by Western understandings of value, abundance, and development. Globalization shows no signs of slowing, as our widespread digital exposure to cultural differences and global affairs is stimulating a response across generations. For some, however, the stimulant drives them to violence. Failing nations with minimal investment in education and avenues for upward socioeconomic mobility typically host a citizenry that is highly susceptible to harmful propaganda and subtle deception.
Bearing this in mind, technological advancements without digital literacy can wreak even more havoc in societies who are vulnerable to mental and emotional manipulation via social media and polarizing journalism. Political leadership must absolutely keep up with all societal advancements. Antitrust laws from decades prior cannot adequately protect the spirit of entrepreneurship and free markets in a present that consists of three tech giants and a sprinkle of startups racing to keep up. Consumer data privacy has become a pressing matter of national security and stability in the relatively short lifespan of the internet. Nowadays, the threats to a nation’s fabric extend beyond brute force and nuclear bullies–nations crumble when unity disappears and leaders lose the trust of their constituents.
Patriotism is what calls noble men to service. Love of country is what calls teachers to the classroom to embolden the next generation for leadership. Vision, clarity, and astute strategy is what positions heads of state as true leaders–as opposed to partisan-fueled figureheads.
So, is America doomed? Not necessarily. Both America and Nigeria still possess redeeming qualities that can cement a better future. One can look at Nigeria’s progress since the Biafran War and see that there is a forward momentum–even if it is severely stalled by failed leadership and a disempowered, disengaged, and under educated youth. Yet, it is absolutely amazing to see how young Nigerian artists and entrepreneurs have used their creative gifts to pave a path for socioeconomic liberation. Nollywood films are reaching new international audiences through streaming platforms like Netflix, and Nigerian startup founders are raising millions of dollars to solve pertinent issues in society. And ofcourse, Afrobeats is maintaining Nigeria’s stance as a cultural powerhouse. But one must not forget that the genre, much like dancehall, was birthed as a creative expression of sociopolitical resistance. It is as much a call for celebration, as it is a critique of oppressive paradigms.
If America wishes to avoid it’s self-induced destruction, we need only look to the great leaders that catapulted us forward in earlier times of crisis. We must, however, take the good and ignore the bad (I’m sure we have all learned that part of inner child healing by now). Our forefathers may have set some problematic precedents, but the intention through it all was to pave a way forward for a brighter future.
HOW DOES PROGRESS HAPPEN IN BROKEN COMMUNITIES?
Progress in any setting requires an awareness of three things:
Who you are
Where you came from
Where you are headed
The power of the people is concentrated in the united consciousness of a nation– and to that effect, we need a true renaissance of thought in order to revive our broken society. True revolution is situated in an empowered intuitive state as much as it is vested in sound political leadership. When a nation’s collective consciousness fails to generate hope for a better future, progress stalls. More so, infrastructures crumble and imagination gives way to domestic terrorism and destructive ideologies that manifest as leadership paralysis.
JFK’s acceptance speech in 1960 as the DNC’s presidential nominee stated:
“I tell you the New frontier is here, whether we seek it or not. It would be easier to…look to the safe mediocrity of the past…lulled by good intentions and high rhetoric…But I believe that the times demand invention, innovation, imagination, decision…My call is to the young in heart, regardless of age.”
These sentiments levitated America to become one of the greatest nations in the world. But we must move forward once more, to obtain a promised land that signals prosperity for all in a nation that so desperately wishes to cave into itself. Nations fail when citizens become apathetic to political and economic outcomes- a symptom of lost hope. Communities disintegrate when they forget that out of many, they are one people. A single entity that must move forward together cannot do so if the consciousness is split between love and hate.
We surrender the beautiful essence of our collective being when we rely solely on external, money-driven, egoic conglomerates to dictate how we think, how we dream, and how we act. Who we believe ourselves to be and what we imagine for our communities is what we see come into fruition. May we harness the power of our art, literature, and creative expression to imagine the freedom and healing we wish to manifest. The time for rebirth is now, and only a deepened sense of civic love and political integrity can get us to the other side.
So why do nations really fail? Because they have lost sight of that which holds them together: Service. Love. Trust. Leadership. Honesty. Duty.
The spirit of a nation is the thread that connects communities of different backgrounds, identities, and beliefs together. Embed noble sentiments into the spirit of a people, and the consciousness of leaders, and we will see the miracle that happens when true change begins to take place.