Security sector reform in fragile states

Questions of state weakness, fragility and failure have made it to the top of the international agenda in recent years. The absence of state control over the territory and the means of vio-lence is increasingly seen to present a major threat to both human and international security. As part of this new agenda, donor agencies have recently begun focusing on how to rebuild or reform the security structures in fragile states. The paper explores two key policy concepts which are currently being developed within the OECD donor community on how to deal with security challenges in states with very weak governments. The paper argues that these policies may fail to produce the desired improvements in security because the approach remains too state-centric. The paper suggests looking beyond the formal state institutions and applying a more pragmatic, contextual approach that allows for building on informal and non-state security structures.