In Mr Yeltsin's time, attempts to bring under control the far-eastern Maritime Territory foundered when the local armed forces turned out to be under the thumb of the fearsomely idiosyncratic provincial governor.

ECONOMIST: The chaos at the door

Local authorities, the armed forces and the NHS are also drawn by the expertise, economies of scale and (usually) better management that private firms offer.

ECONOMIST: Outsourcing

Along the border, cattle ranchers, Indians and local priests all say that the Venezuelan armed forces do not patrol.

ECONOMIST: Colombia and its neighbours: Ripples of instability | The