BY FELIPE UMAÑA Only a few years ago, much of the Fragile States Index analysis was following the aftermath of the Arab Spring. At the time, there was significant hope for the future, as the despotic regime of Muammar Gaddafi fell in Libya, similarly undemocratic regimes collapsed in Egypt and Tunisia, and other countries hastily […]
Tag Archives: Fragile States Index
Widespread Violence and Insecurity Strikes the Central African Republic
- 17 June 2015
BY NAKE HAKEN AND HANNAH BLYTH The Central African Republic (CAR) is a vast, beautiful land about the size of Texas, but with a fraction of its population. It is home to sprawling herds of forest elephants roaming the Dzanga-Ndoki national park along the Sangha River. Logging towns have sprung up where Muslim merchants sell […]
Press Release: Fragile States Index 2015 Released
- 17 June 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2015 Fragile States Index Released: South Sudan most fragile state for second year in a row; Finland remains at best position; Ukraine, Russia, Syria, Libya, and Mali worsen; Cuba, Georgia, Portugal, and Zimbabwe make gains. WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Fund for Peace (FFP) releases its eleventh annual 2015 Fragile States Index, […]
Springtime for Castro and Cuba; Winter for Ukraine and Libya
- 17 June 2015
BY J.J. MESSNER AND HANNAH BLYTH South Sudan has topped the Fragile States Index for the second year in succession, as the country continues to be wracked by internal conflict, fractious politics, and poverty. South Sudan is joined at the most fragile end of the Index by countries that have long struggled, such as Somalia, […]
Fragile States Index 2015: The Book
- 17 June 2015
BY J. J. MESSNER, NATE HAKEN, PATRICIA TAFT, HANNAH BLYTH, KENDALL LAWRENCE, SEBASTIAN PAVLOU, FELIPE UMAÑA 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 […]
“The Eyes of the World Are Watching.” They Sure Are, Governor.
- 20 August 2014
BY J.J. MESSNER It is easy to view the unfolding events in Ferguson, Missouri as an inherently domestic issue. Much of the domestic analysis so far has characterized this violence as reminiscent of decades past – or lands far away. In the words of Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri, “The eyes of the world are […]
Measuring South Sudan: How Soon is Too Soon?
- 06 July 2014
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 […]
Predicting the World Cup (Assuming State Fragility Had Anything To Do With It)
- 03 July 2014
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 […]
Ten Years of the Fragile States Index
- 24 June 2014
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 […]
Most Worsened (Non-Top 10) Country for 2014: Syria
- 24 June 2014
BY KENDALL LAWRENCE Syria’s civil war continued to intensify over 2013. The Syrian Army and allied Hezbollah forces faced off over the course of the year with numerous rebel factions, all supported by different external actors. The government recaptured the town of Qusair, but lost a major stronghold in Khan al-Assal in the west of […]