Failed State Index

Last year, and this year the "Failed State Index" has been put out by Foreign Policy Magazine and the think tank, Fund for Peace. So, who's who in the world? 146 nations are ranked and the U.S. came in 128th (1 being the worst, 146, the best). So what criteria do these folks use to rank these states?

1. Mounting Demographic Pressures
2. Massive Movement of Refugees and IDPs (internally displaced people)
3. Legacy of Vengeance - Seeking Group Grievance
4. Chronic and Sustained Human Flight
5. Uneven Economic Development Along Group Lines
6. Sharp and/or Severe Economic Decline
7. Criminalization or Deligitimization of the State
8. Progressive Deteriorization of Public Services
9. Widespread Violation of Human Rights
10. Security Apparatus as "State within a state"
11. Rise of Factionalized Elites
12. Intervention of other States or External Actors

The score works like golf, the lower the number the better (1-10).

here's how the U.S. did:

1. 5
2. 6
3. 3
4. 1
5. 6
6. 2
7. 3
8. 1
9. 5
10. 1
11. 2
12. 1

which gives us an overall score of 34.5
Canada got a nice 23.1, putting it a 139, Finland, Sweden and Norway took 144, 145, and 146, respectively.

those at the bottom (or top, I suppose) of the list:

1. Sudan
2. Democratic Republic of Congo
3. Ivory Coast
4. Iraq
5. Zimbabwe
6. Chad (tie)
   
7. Somalia (tie)
   
8. Haiti
   
9. Pakistan
10. Afghanistan