The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation included the following critical points:

• The national government had no power to tax citizens directly; it could only request money from the states, which rarely paid, leaving the government underfunded.
• There was no executive branch to enforce laws or national decisions, meaning the government lacked centralized leadership and enforcement power.
• No national judiciary existed, so there was no way to resolve disputes between states or interpret national laws fairly.
• Congress could not regulate interstate or international commerce; states imposed tariffs on one another and had separate currencies, which hampered trade and economic unity.
• The government could not raise a standing army and had to rely on state militias, which weakened national defense as states could refuse to send troops.
• Passing laws required the approval of nine states; amending the Articles required unanimous consent from all thirteen states, making lawmaking and reforms very difficult.
• The states retained sovereignty with significant independence, often conflicting policies and undermining national cohesion and governance.

These weaknesses led to challenges such as economic confusion, inability to enforce treaties or laws, poor defense against internal rebellions like Shays' Rebellion, and ineffective foreign diplomacy. This fragile system ultimately prompted the drafting of the U.S. Constitution for a stronger federal government.