Failed States

[Torsten]

I found an interesting article on “failed states”:

Whether it is an unexpected food crisis or a devastating hurricane, the world’s weakest states are the most exposed when crisis strikes. In the fourth annual Failed States Index, FOREIGN POLICY and The Fund for Peace rank the countries where state collapse may be just one disaster away.

Read on: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4350

We are pleased to present the third annual Failed States Index - which has been expanded to include 177 countries. Hundreds of thousands of articles from global and regional sources were collected from May to December 2006. Utilizing our CAST software to do initial analysis of these voluminous documents and with a review by experts, we compiled the scores below.

We encourage others to utilize the Failed States Index to develop ideas for promoting greater stability worldwide. We hope the Index will spur conversations, encourage debate, and most of all help guide strategies for sustainable security.

http://www.fundforpeace.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=229&Itemid=366

Any comments?

[Torsten]

The Failed States Index 2008

The Rankings

Page 2 of 9


This year, Somalia claims the unenviable distinction of being the state most at risk of failure. In many ways, Somalia has failed already, as the unpopular transitional government lacks control of the streets of Mogadishu—much less the rest of the country. The loose coalition of Islamic clerics and militia leaders that captured the capital in 2006 was routed in the early weeks of 2007 with the help of Ethiopian troops, who have since stayed on to battle the remnants of the Islamist insurgency. The fighting has yet to produce anything resembling a victor; if anything, the country’s clan chaos continues unabated in the unruly streets, while pirates stalk the waters offshore. What the fighting has successfully produced is a refugee nightmare, with some 700,000 people fleeing Mogadishu last year.

Source: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4350&page=1