You may have seen this before. If you haven’t, why on earth not? Beloved by professors, at least by my professors, the Failed States Index attempts to quantify the factors that lead to failed states, and comes out with a numbered list of the most at-risk states in the world.
The top 5 of 2007:
- Sudan
- Iraq
- Somalia
- Zimbabwe
- Chad
You may or may not agree with the methodology behind these rankings, for example, some countries are left out because of a lack of data, and a variety of factors seem to be given equal weight (I think, statistics aren’t always my strong point, so correct me if I’m wrong). These might also not be the countries that you would expect to be in the top 5.
It’s interesting how varied media coverage can be. For example, I have heard almost nothing about Chad. I think I have some reading to do.
Sudan has stayed in the #1 spot this year, and Iraq has moved up. Cote d’Ivoire and the DRC have dropped a bit. Afghanistan has moved up higher (meaning become worse). Take a look. There are some interesting things in this study.
By the way, you used to be able to read the whole Foreign Policy magazine article online. Now, it seems you have to be a subscriber. I hate that. Consider yourself warned.
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