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

From the earthquake in Haiti to the volcano in Iceland, 2010 was a big year for natural disasters. Over a quarter million people were killed last year, and millions displaced, as a result of blizzards, droughts, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, landslides, and super typhoons, making it the deadliest year in more than a generation. These disasters claimed the lives of over 290,000 people in 2010, compared with just 11,000 in 2009, according to Munich Re.

Though conflict and poverty tend to be the domain of countries at the worst end of the Failed States Index, natural disasters are non-discriminating, terrorizing the “rich” and “poor” alike. But their actual effect can be particularly damaging for developing states. Poor infrastructure and urban crowding maximize fatalities and disrupt the ability to provide service to survivors. Displacement can also exacerbate existing tensions between groups and strains on supplies.

February 23, 2011
By J. J. Messner
The Failed States Index

On February 9, The Economist published an Index of Unrest among Arab League countries, which was also dubbed “The Shoe-Throwers Index.” The Index combined factors such as youth bulge, longevity of administration, corruption indicators, GDP per head and media censorship. The Fund for Peace decided to compare The Economist’s Shoe-Throwers Index against our own Failed States Index.