Worlds Most Unstable Countries
June 19th, 2007
Iraq is now the second-most unstable country in the world, a private survey finds, its standing deteriorating from last year’s fourth place on a list of the 10 nations most vulnerable to violent internal conflict and worsening conditions.
In the third annual “Failed States Index,” analysts for Foreign Policy magazine and the non-profit Fund for Peace said that Iraq and Afghanistan, which ranked eighth, show that billions of dollars in development and security aid may be futile without a functioning government, trustworthy leaders and realistic plans to keep the peace and develop the economy.
“The ‘Failed States Index’ for this year has some predictable nations on the list, such as Sudan (the most failed), Somalia and Chad,” said CBS News Foreign Affairs Analyst Pamela Falk. “But the troublesome conclusion for the Bush administration is that Iraq ranks as the second-most unstable state and Afghanistan the eighth €” both nations where the U.S. has boots on the ground and an interest in the success of the government.”
Preventing Iraq from becoming a failed state is a key part of the Bush administration’s argument for keeping U.S. troops in the country; the administration says the troops are needed to keep Iraq from becoming a breeding ground for international terrorists.
The ratings are based on 12 social, economic, political and military indicators, such as: institutionalized political exclusion; “brain drain” of professionals, intellectuals and political dissidents fearing persecution or repression; massive and endemic corruption or profiteering by ruling elites; widespread loss of popular confidence in state institutions; deterioration of essential services (such as health, education, sanitation and public transportation); and widespread violation of human rights.
Sudan, which topped the list, and seven other sub-Saharan African countries are among the top 10. Violence in the Darfur region was the main contributing cause to Sudan’s top position.
The Failed States Index 2007: Greatest Instability
1. Sudan
2. Iraq
3. Somalia
4. Zimbabwe
5. Chad
6. Ivory Coast
7. Democratic Republic of the Congo
9. Afghanistan
10. Guinea
11. Central African Republic
12. Haiti
13. Pakistan
14. North Korea
15. Myanmar (Burma)
16. Uganda
17. Bangladesh
18. Nigeria
19. Ethiopia
20. Burundi
21. Timor-Leste
The 2007 index includes 177 nations, compared with 148 in 2006 and 75 in 2005; several countries were not included due to a lack of data.