Even before the uprising began, Yemen was the poorest country in the Middle East, fractured and unstable with a government that had weak authority at best outside the capital Sanaa.
The report described circumstances during a period of fluidity and weak authority after the popular uprising that ousted Kyrgyzstan's authoritarian leader, Kurmanbek S. Bakiyev.
And given the already wobbly economy and the already weak authority of the government, a serious setback might set the stage for social and political turmoil -- maybe with an ethnic and religious edge.
Margaret Hodge, the chair of the PAC, said its report showed that corporations had been allowed to get away with "ripping off" taxpayers because of a weak tax authority, poor legislation and a lack of international co-operation.
Margaret Hodge, the chair of the PAC, said its report showed that global corporations with huge operations in the UK had been allowed to get away with "ripping off" taxpayers because of a weak tax authority, poor legislation and a lack of international co-operation.
Moreover, a federal Shia-Sunni Arab state with a weak central authority can address the historic sectarian conflicts between Shia and Sunni Arabs.
In diplomatic circles, Mr. Karzai is sometimes referred to as the "Mayor of Kabul," a reference to his control of the capital, but weak authority in remote areas of the country.
Weak authority and largely voluntary standards limit global institutions' impact on nuclear safety and security.
Not only would Eurozone institutions be inadequate, but they would have weak authority.
Even in otherwise peaceful places conflicts between Islamist groups and often weak authorities have been on the rise.Last October police fought running battles with the supporters of an influential sheikh on the streets of Dakar, the capital of Senegal.
