Resolved: Failed Nations are more of a threat to the United States than successful ones.

"Resolved: Failed nations are more of a threat to the US that successful ones." Whether the peril is terrorism, pandemics, narcotics, human trafficking, or civil strife, a state so weak that it incubates a threat is also a state too weak to contain a threat." -US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice Contentions 1.Due to a lack of law and order, failed nations provide a breading ground for terrorist groups and other threats to the national security of the United States. 2.Many failed nations have access to nuclear weapons and other advanced weaponry and are ill equipped to protect these weapons. 3.Failed nations are susceptible to radical idealism and religious fanaticism which can threaten the foundation of a healthy global order. 1. Terrorist haven Within failed states, there exists a state of hardship and frustration which breads anger. Terrorists feed off this anger to fuel the fire of extremism. The inability of failed states to maintain rule of law further enables the fire to spread. According to the US Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, "In recent years, it seems we've had more security problems from states that have been in trouble than we have from strong states that have been an adversary to us in the traditional way." The Defense Minister of India said yesterday, "There are various terrorists groups operating from Pakistan, but despite our repeated requests all terrorist camps are intact. Many of them are in the vicinity of their army bases." The Taliban is gaining control of many areas of Pakistan and in April, the terrorist group gained control of the very strategic Buner district, just 70 miles from the capital, Islamabad. According to the New York Times, "it was another indication of the gathering strength of the insurgency and it raised new alarm about the ability of the government to fend off an unrelenting Taliban advance toward the heart of Pakistan." Commenting on the situation in Buner, a senior law enforcement official in North-West Frontier Province said. "They take over Buner, then they roll into Mardan and that's the end of the game." 2. Nuclear threat Pakistan has become a failed state and a breading ground for terrorism. Pakistan has between 70-90 nuclear devices, has not signed the non-proliferation treaty or the comprehensive test ban treaty, and is accused of selling its nuclear technology to North Korea in return for missile technology. The Federation of American Scientists reports that Pakistan's nuclear devices could be within the means of non-state actors that intend to assemble a crude nuclear weapon. Pakistan's status as a failed state is particularly troubling when you consider there are terrorist camps in the vicinity of their army bases and Pakistan has demonstrated its inability to effectively combat terrorism. Pakistan is an example of the severe risks and dangers failing nations pose to the United States. One nuclear attack on a US city could have unprecedented results and is unquestionably the greatest threat facing the United States. 3.Extremism When the angers and frustrations of failed states build, the people turn to fundamentalist religion for answers or seek rapid change through radical idealism. Both approaches have, throughout history, resulted in destruction and severe dangers for the United States. In recent times, the dangers of the religious fundamentalists have been witnessed through terrorist attacks such as those on September 11th and the ensuing insurgency in Afghanistan and Iraq; two failed states. According to a study at Berkeley University, the number of civilians killed by radically idealistic governments in the 20th century was 155,600,000. These governments posed serious threats to the foundation of the global order and led to US involvement in World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War. Radical idealism and religious fundamentalism propagates with ease and swiftness in nations designated as "failed" and both doctrines are dangerous to the stability of global order and the national security interests of the United States.