2011 Failed States Index Released

The Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy magazine released their 7^th annual Failing States Index in June.  The index, which rates nations based on 12 factors, including demographic pressures, listed Somalia as the world’s least stable state, followed by Chad, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Haiti.   As in previous years, the vast majority of the top failing states have rapidly growing populations.  Only one of the countries (Burma) in this year’s top 20 had a total fertility rate (TFR) of less than 3.5 children per woman.  More than half of them have TFRs in excess of 5.0.  In releasing this year’s index, the authors noted that natural disasters played a role in destabilizing several governments, but noted that “Although natural disasters affecting major population centers will almost always have a significant impact on countries, the state's capacity to adequately respond makes the difference between a manageable crisis and a humanitarian catastrophe.“

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/06/20/states_of_change?page=0,0

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/06/17/2011_failed_states_index_interactive_map_and_rankings