[HOME ] [ABOUT] [PHOTOS] [VIDEO] [BLOG] [HOUSTON] [TEXAS] [U.S. NEWS] [WORLD NEWS] [SPORTS] [POP CULTURE] [CONTACT]
Failed States List for 2011 released - Great Lakes countries in top 25
by Joseph Ernest June 20, 2011
Newscast Media WASHINGTON D.C --The 2011 Failed States List has been released and the results aren't surprising. Failed States Index, the annual ranking is prepared by the Fund for Peace and published by FOREIGN POLICY. If the Failed States Index were the Big League, Somalia would be the reigning champ, since it has ranked number one for the fourth year in a row.The absence of a permanent national government in Somalia for almost twenty years has led to ongoing civil violence, economic hardship, poor social conditions, and the displacement of several million Somali citizens.
You may view complete list of failed states here. (pop-up)
Ethnic violence
In Nigeria, steady in the rankings this year at No. 14, post-election rampages in April killed as many as 800 people. Sudan's closely watched referendum in January on an independent southern state was surprisingly free of bloodshed, but the country continues to hover on the brink of new violence.
The Central African Republic remains one of the least stable countries in the world, with spillover from neighboring conflicts likely to continue to destabilize the area. The country's economy has stagnated under poor policies since independence. A history of coups d'etat has destabilized the government and allowed the rest of the country to fall into disorder. Elsewhere in Africa, ethnic violence in northern Liberia and renewed separatist troubles in Senegal's Casamance region led to setbacks in both countries' progress. One thing these countries have in common is that they are constantly engaged in war whether foreign or domestic, and it is the citizens who suffer the consequences. You don’t see countries like Tanzania or South Africa topping the list.
The Great Lakes
Kenya, Burundi and Uganda are high on the list, with Rwanda holding a lower position. Rwanda was once on top of the list as a declared failed state, but has since dropped to number 34, doing better than the other threee countries, while Kenya is at number 16, Burundi number 17 and Uganda number 21 respectively. In Rwanda, the UK scandal involving Paul Kagame -- including further restrictions on the media and opposition groups -- did no favors for the country's scorecard, otherwise Rwanda would have almost disappeared from the list.
Kenya's bloody post-election ethnic warfare of recent years and economic conditions have kept it in the top 20. Even though Uganda's Yoweri Museveni won reelection in February, his image has been tarnished tarnished due to the opposition parties that cried foul, and the violence that was used against protestors during the most recent demonstrations, including on inauguration day when opposition leader Kizza Besigye returned from Kenya.
Migration of the educated
Unfortunately all the young talent leaves Uganda due to the high unemployment rate, and most head to South Africa, where opportunities are abundant. The uneducated rural farmers are also under constant threat especially from China, since the Chinese are either leasing or buying land on which these farmers depend for sustenance. A study conducted by Food & Water Watch says, land grabs dislocate smallholders who often cannot protect their historical claims on farm and pasture land. This can be especially dire for women, who make up 70 percent of farmers in the developing world. These women often cannot protect their own land tenure claims in court due to local laws. Worse, smallholders may not even know they're losing their land since all these deals are done in secret. The same study lists Uganda as one of the many countries that has leased land to the Chinese so they can grow crops and export them back to China. View complete report by Food & Water Watch. (pop-up)
The Failed States Index (FSI) ranks 177 countries using 12 social, economic, and political indicators of pressure on the state, along with over 100 sub-indicators. These include such issues as Uneven Development, State Legitimacy, Group Grievance, and Human Rights. Each indicator is rated on a scale of 1-10, based on the analysis of millions of publicly available documents, other quantitative data, and assessments by analysts. A high score indicates high pressure on the state, and therefore a higher risk of instability. Add Comments>>
Sources:
Related strories:
- Uganda’s Kizza Besigye says Walk-to-Work events will continue
- African rulers and investors treat the Continent like a whore
|
|
Join the Newscast Media social networks
for current events and multimedia content.
Copyright© Newscast Media. All Rights Reserved. Terms and Privacy Policy