Iraq second on 'failed state' index
Iraq second on 'failed state' index
Robin Wright, WashingtonJune 20, 2007
IRAQ now ranks as the second most unstable country in the world, marginally behind Sudan but ahead of war-ravaged or poverty-stricken countries such as Somalia, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Congo, Afghanistan, Haiti and North Korea, according to the 2007 failed state index.
Despite billions of dollars in foreign aid and the presence of more than 150,000 American troops, Iraq has been on a steady decline over the past three years, according to the index, issued on Monday by Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace.
Iraq ranked fourth last year, but its score dropped in almost all of the 12 political, economic, security and social indicators on which the index is based.
"The report tells us that Iraq is sinking fast," Fund for Peace president Pauline Baker said. "We believe it's reached the point of no return. We have recommended — based on studies done every six months since the US invasion — that the administration face up to the reality that the only choices for Iraq are how, and how violently, it will break up."
In a parallel series of reports, the Fund for Peace, a research and advocacy group, suggests a policy of managed partition for Iraq.
Sudan, largely because of the humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur, is the world's most unstable country, the group concluded. More than 200,000 Sudanese have died, and another 2 million to 3 million have been displaced.
"There were only marginal differences between Iraq and Sudan, and Iraq is worse than Somalia, which is already a failed state," Ms Baker said.
The organisation reported that Africa is the continent with the most significant downward slide. Eight of the 10 most unstable countries are in Africa, the report concludes.
The two non-African countries in the top 10 are Iraq and Afghanistan — both countries where the Bush Administration has made enormous military and financial commitments since 2001.
Their experiences show that billions of dollars in development and security aid may be futile unless accompanied by a functioning government and plans for peace-keeping and economic development, Foreign Policy reports in its July/August issue, which includes the index.
Meanwhile, the US military said yesterday it had launched a major offensive involving about 10,000 soldiers against al-Qaeda north of Baghdad. It said 22 militants had been killed in the early hours of the offensive, called Operation Arrowhead.
In New York, an Iraqi union leader said a proposed law regulating Iraq's oil industry would foster US "hegemony" over the world's third largest oil reserves and Iraqi oil workers were determined to oppose it.
Faleh Abood Umara, general secretary of the Southern Oil Company Union and the Iraqi Federation of Oil Workers Unions, was speaking while on a US tour to press for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq.
He said the proposed law amounted to "a raid by the international oil cartel" and unions representing thousands of workers in the industry would take strong measures to oppose it, including strikes if necessary.
WASHINGTON POST, REUTERS
Robin Wright, WashingtonJune 20, 2007
IRAQ now ranks as the second most unstable country in the world, marginally behind Sudan but ahead of war-ravaged or poverty-stricken countries such as Somalia, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Congo, Afghanistan, Haiti and North Korea, according to the 2007 failed state index.
Despite billions of dollars in foreign aid and the presence of more than 150,000 American troops, Iraq has been on a steady decline over the past three years, according to the index, issued on Monday by Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace.
Iraq ranked fourth last year, but its score dropped in almost all of the 12 political, economic, security and social indicators on which the index is based.
"The report tells us that Iraq is sinking fast," Fund for Peace president Pauline Baker said. "We believe it's reached the point of no return. We have recommended — based on studies done every six months since the US invasion — that the administration face up to the reality that the only choices for Iraq are how, and how violently, it will break up."
In a parallel series of reports, the Fund for Peace, a research and advocacy group, suggests a policy of managed partition for Iraq.
Sudan, largely because of the humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur, is the world's most unstable country, the group concluded. More than 200,000 Sudanese have died, and another 2 million to 3 million have been displaced.
"There were only marginal differences between Iraq and Sudan, and Iraq is worse than Somalia, which is already a failed state," Ms Baker said.
The organisation reported that Africa is the continent with the most significant downward slide. Eight of the 10 most unstable countries are in Africa, the report concludes.
The two non-African countries in the top 10 are Iraq and Afghanistan — both countries where the Bush Administration has made enormous military and financial commitments since 2001.
Their experiences show that billions of dollars in development and security aid may be futile unless accompanied by a functioning government and plans for peace-keeping and economic development, Foreign Policy reports in its July/August issue, which includes the index.
Meanwhile, the US military said yesterday it had launched a major offensive involving about 10,000 soldiers against al-Qaeda north of Baghdad. It said 22 militants had been killed in the early hours of the offensive, called Operation Arrowhead.
In New York, an Iraqi union leader said a proposed law regulating Iraq's oil industry would foster US "hegemony" over the world's third largest oil reserves and Iraqi oil workers were determined to oppose it.
Faleh Abood Umara, general secretary of the Southern Oil Company Union and the Iraqi Federation of Oil Workers Unions, was speaking while on a US tour to press for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq.
He said the proposed law amounted to "a raid by the international oil cartel" and unions representing thousands of workers in the industry would take strong measures to oppose it, including strikes if necessary.
WASHINGTON POST, REUTERS
