Are failed states a threat to America?

• Author: Essig, Anneliese
• Position: Letter to the editor

Justin Logan and Christopher Preble make it sound as if national sovereignty is not the backbone of the anarchic international system that recognizes all nation-states as equals, regardless of wealth ("Are Failed States a Threat to America?" July 2006). The same way the young United States was recognized by other nations after we rebelled in the Revolutionary War, we too have the obligation to recognize the sovereignty of nation-states, whether we like it or not.

The United States should worry less about military involvement...