In addition to these general threats to stability and security, / a failed or failing state is itself a potential target / for i

In addition to these general threats to stability and security, / a failed or failing state is itself a potential target / for internal or external disruption and insurgencies. / A transnational or sub-state actor, / operating either within the troubled country or from points nearby, / may seek to exploit conditions in order to promote its own agenda. / Such activities could lead to the destabilization of an entire region, / thereby quickly escalating into a security threat / weal beyond the relatively minor interests originating from the failed or falling state. / These states also provide an environment / in which such actors can thrive, / exploiting the lack of effective governance to build their resources. / So, for example, / the inability of a state to control criminal activities / such as drug or weapons smuggling, money laundering, and terrorism / may eventually transform the country into a kind of" safe haven"/from which the criminal can effectively consolidate and expand operations. / To the extent that such actors gain strength in these safe havens, / the failed state becomes a security concern for other countries, including the US. /