List of failed states

This article caught my eye while researching North Korea.

For those who dunno, a failed state is generally defined a state whose central government is so weak or ineffective that it has little practical control over much of its territory.

While the UN usually makes a list of country according to their GDP, HDI, Population, Area, Poverty Rate, or even Global Peace Index (GPI) by their dynamic spot changes, the American think-tank “Fund for Peace” publishes its own list of countries according to its FSI (Failed States Index).

List of FSI may sound like the opposite of GPI, but it really isn’t. The only indicator in GPI is by how peaceful the country is, while the FSI list tells us a list of failed states, with the ranks being chosen by the 12 indicators of state vulnerability to collapse or stricken with conflict.

This year, North Korea is on No. 12, whereas Indonesia’s beloved neighbour Timor Leste gains spot No. 20. Poor countries…

Here’s the 2007 worst 20 failed states list:

1. Sudan (0)
2. Iraq (+2)
3. Somalia (+4)
4. Zimbabwe (+1)
5. Chad (+1)
6. Côte d'Ivoire (-3)
7. Democratic Republic of the Congo (-5)

8. Afghanistan (+2)
9. Guinea (+2)
10. Central African Republic (+3)
11. Haiti (-3)
12. Pakistan (-3)
13. North Korea (+1)
14. Burma/Myanmar (+4)

15. Uganda (+6)
16. Bangladesh (+3)
17. Nigeria (+5)
18. Ethiopia (+8)
19. Burundi (-4)
20. Timor-Leste (N/A)

Sudan –unsurprisingly— has been on the top spot since 2006 which is of course attributed to its Darfur civil war.

Iraq gains the No.2 due to the Bush Administration failure.

Somalia… no need to question it.

Zimbabwe has Robert Mugabe and its plunging Zimbabwean dollar (heard in the news that the govt there is planning to change the currency!), while Afghanistan has the Taliban rebels.

In the next 2008 FSI list, I dare wager that Burma would jump up to the Top 5 spot due to its recent revolt, while North Korea – with the trade deal and nuclear abolishing agreement it recently made with South Korea – would either move to position between No.15 to No.20, if not erased from the list at all.