Published December 12, 2011
By Kristen Blandford and Raphaël Jaeger
Country Profile CCPPR11BD
Report available in PDF and Flash formats

Political instability, natural disasters, lack of necessary resources, international dependence, and poor economic policies are key factors preventing Bangladesh from realizing its economic potential. Corruption and impunity among the police and civil services inspire fear and instability throughout the country. Although such pressures are still apparent and present, the country is attempting to reduce their effects with a focus on more educational services and economic reforms. The consolidation of the democratically elected government for another year is a positive development for the country’s stability. Political factionalization seems to be a pressure that will not dissipate quickly, but the government’s recent efforts and the international community’s support will hopefully keep the country on its gradual incline towards social, economic, and political improvement.

December 1, 2011
By J. J. Messner and Michael Shank
Roll Call

With the excitement about Moammar Gadhafi’s downfall beginning to fade, Libya’s new management has begun governing and reconstructing the war-torn nation.

Plenty of attention is being paid to the governance angle: Is the National Transitional Council a legitimate, representative body? When will elections be held? Is the new Libya going to be run by Islamists? Certainly these are important issues. Just as important, however, is the Libyan economy and how to get Libyans back to work.

The issue of employment is significant for a couple of reasons. First, though Gadhafi was a pariah who oppressed his people, these were not the only reasons Libyans eventually saw to his downfall. The Gadhafi regime had for decades deprived much of the population of economic opportunities, and the revolution was as much about economic disempowerment as it was about tyranny. Libya’s new leadership must recognize that it will be expected to deliver economic opportunities quickly.

Published November 10, 2011
By Krista Hendry and Diana Klein
Publication SVPSR1123
Report available in PDF and Flash formats

While the Voluntary Principles on Security & Human Rights have grown over the past ten years to include 7 governments, 18 companies, and 9 NGOs, there has been too little focus on national‐level implementation within the countries that have challenges related to security and human rights. At the same time, there has been little guidance, with the exception of a case study on Colombia, given to those in the countries on how they can encourage VPs adoption by host governments and extractive companies operating in the country.

The purpose of this document, which will be public, is to give guidance to those interested in initiating or supporting a national‐level process to implement the VPs. The document lays out basic elements for consideration based on existing national‐level processes. The Fund for Peace (FfP) and International Alert (IA) have joined in this effort as two of the participant NGOs in the international‐level dialogue of the VPs, with funding from the Government of Norway and support from the Government of the Republic of Colombia, two of the governments formally involved in the process. This guidance note has been informed by existing in‐country processes ‐ largely Colombia and Indonesia, as well as experience and insight gathered from participants at a workshop in Bogota in June 2010.

This guidance note should also not be viewed as overly prescriptive. As will be evident throughout this document, a national‐level process will invariably be different in each area. Every country will have its own unique set of actors, challenges and opportunities.

June 20, 2011
By J. J. Messner
The Failed States Index

If the Failed States Index were a championship, then Somalia would be the undisputed four-time champion (or cellar-dweller, depending on how you look at it). In the seven years of the Failed States Index, Somalia has had the ignominious distinction of occupying the worst spot for the past four years straight. Despite having a relatively functional and pretty much autonomous ‘state’ in the north, Somaliland, the country as a whole still manages to score badly enough to make up for that glimmer of unrecognized hope. Worse still, the country is in no danger of losing its position anytime soon. A combination of widespread lawlessness, ineffective government, terrorism, insurgency, crime, abysmal development and a penchant for inconveniencing the rest of the world by taking their merchant vessels hostage has given Somalia a score that – much as they seem to try – neither Chad, Sudan, Zimbabwe nor the Democratic Republic of Congo can hope to match.