Category Archives: J.J. Messner

Measuring South Sudan: How Soon is Too Soon?

BY J.J. MESSNER Every year the Fragile States Index (FSI) receives its fair share of compliments and criticism, the former often from those who wish to highlight and measure the challenges faced by countries, the latter often from those whose interests or sensibilities have been offended. This is par for the course for any organization […]

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Predicting the World Cup (Assuming State Fragility Had Anything To Do With It)

BY J.J. Messner* Fund for Peace – Global Square Blog The Fragile States Index (FSI) is serious business, and it requires serious analysis and contemplation. Though the findings of the FSI should not be made light of, there is another pretty serious business going on right now: the World Cup. What if we combined these […]

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Ten Years of the Fragile States Index

BY J.J. MESSNER Now with ten years of data from the Fragile States Index (FSI), we have the opportunity to look back on a decade of trends. Though it is useful and informative to view countries’ performances in a given year, it really is just a snapshot in time. Viewing short term trends from year-to-year […]

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Failed States Index 2014: Somalia Displaced as Most-Fragile State

BY J.J. MESSNER As much as the 2014 Fragile States Index is significant for being the tenth anniversary of the Index (and for being the first to be named “Fragile States Index” rather than “Failed States Index”), it is especially notable for the change at the top: after six years in the number one position, […]

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Fragile States Index 2014: The Book

BY J.J. MESSNER, NATE HAKEN, KRISTA HENDRY, PATRICIA TAFT, KENDALL LAWRENCE, LAURA BRISARD, FELIPE UMANA The Fragile States Index, produced by The Fund for Peace, is a critical tool in highlighting not only the normal pressures that all states experience, but also in identifying when those pressures are pushing a state towards the brink of […]

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Human Rights & Business Roundtable Annual Report 2013

BY J.J. MESSNER* The mission of The Human Rights & Business Roundtable is to promote the rule of law and open societies. Launched in 1996, the Roundtable was the first forum designed for multinational businesses and mainstream human rights organizations to discuss issues of common concern in an atmosphere of mutual respect, trust, and confidentiality.

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Morocco After the Arab Uprisings: Evolution Rather than Revolution

BY KRISTA HENDRY AND DR. RICARDO RENE LAREMONT* On September 27, 2013, The Fund for Peace hosted a Roundtable meeting in Washington, D.C. on the future of Morocco in the context of the Arab Spring. The Roundtable discussion, which sought to elicit policy recommendations, was led by Dr. Ricardo René Larémont of SUNY Binghampton. In […]

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Human Rights Training for Security Forces in the Extractive Industry

A Unique Partnership Between an Oil Company, a Peacebuilding NGO and the Cameroonian Military BY J.J. MESSNER   Cet article est aussi disponible en français A comic book may not seem like an obvious method of training military forces on human rights, but that is exactly what the Fund for Peace (FFP) has used for […]

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Failed States Index 2013: The Book

BY J.J. MESSNER, NATE HAKEN, KRISTA HENDRY, PATRICIA TAFT, KENDALL LAWRENCE, SEBASTIAN PAVLOU, FELIPE UMANA The Failed States Index, produced by The Fund for Peace, is a critical tool in highlighting not only the normal pressures that all states experience, but also in identifying when those pressures are pushing a state towards the brink of […]

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Failed States Index 2013: The Troubled Ten

BY J.J. MESSNER AND KENDALL LAWRENCE Though it is called the Failed States Index, that is not to say that every country on the FSI is a failed state — after all, Finland is ranked on the FSI. That is also not to say that any country on the FSI is necessarily failed — though […]

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