BY NATE HAKEN Does state failure matter? Obviously it matters mostly for the population of that country, but even for its neighbors, the answer is a resounding yes. Chaos in a single country can often impact an entire region. In 2011, as measured in the 2012 FSI, Tunisia and the wider “Arab Spring” were the […]
Author Archives: FFP Interns
Failed States Index 2013: What Were You Expecting?
- 24 June 2013
BY J.J. MESSNER In compiling the 2013 Failed States Index (FSI), there was some optimism at The Fund for Peace that we would finally see Somalia climb out of first place on the Index after having been firmly anchored in top position for five straight years, especially given the encouraging signs that have been emanating […]
Liberia: Mitigating Conflict through Responsible Resource Distribution and Management
- 14 June 2013
BY KRISTA HENDRY AND GEORGE WAH WILLIAMS Over the past decade, the Liberian economy has rebounded from fourteen years of civil war. Its GDP has had measurable growth since 2004 and the African Development Bank predicts a growth rate of over 7% in 2013. This is in part due to financial and technical aid from […]
State of Emergency in Nigeria: Balancing Hard Security with Peacebuilding
- 29 May 2013
BY NATE HAKEN AND BENJAMIN KAUFMAN On 15 May 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan imposed a state of emergency in three states in northeastern Nigeria. In a televised statement, he called for “extraordinary measures to restore normalcy” in Borno, Yobe and Adawama states, where the domestic non-state armed group(s) Jama’atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda’Awati Wal Jihad (JAS), commonly […]
U.S. Strategies on Iran Nuclear Development
- 09 April 2013
BY KENNAN HEDRICK As pressure from Israel builds and international sanctions against Iran continually weaken the Iranian economy, President Obama has repeatedly asserted his policy to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran and his willingness to use force if necessary. In light of this policy, what is the best strategy to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, and how […]