The world today faces a series of critical problems, including global environmental crisis, relative shift of economic power from the industrialized north to emerging developing countries, and compounding equity questions both within and between nations. It is thus no surprise that some sorts of alternative-both as a desired vision and as a workable governing mechanism-are eagerly sought and the notion of sustainable development is often considered as such an alternative. This article reflects both ideals and realities of a relatively new concept of “the green state,” as proposed by Robyn Eckersley (2004). Her notion provides one of the radical visions of sustainability. While there are apparently both praise of as well as criticism against this conceptualization of a new statehood, it can serve as one of the yardsticks against which realities are checked. This article uses recent observation from Uganda, Africa, as a typical example of problematic statehood of “the hybrid regime” that became obvious particularly since the 1990s. We then explore what the gaps between ideals and realities signify in order to deepen our understanding of much desired sustainable future.