Failed States--UPDATED Post Evolving In Weird Ways

Interesting map and conclusions:

The vast majority of the states listed in the index have not yet failed; they exhibit severe weaknesses that leave them vulnerable, especially to shocks such as natural disasters, war, and economic deprivation. The power of such events should not be underestimated. The war in Lebanon last summer helped undo nearly two decades of economic and political progress. But Lebanon was vulnerable because its political and security structures lacked integrity and remained tensely divided by factionalized elites. Those vulnerabilities not only helped turn the clock back on the country’s development, but they reverberated across the region—into Israel, Jordan, and Syria. It shows again that a country’s problems are never simply its own.

H/T Siggy

I didn't look far enough down Siggy's page. He has this hilarious and strangely fascinating video. It's a slow start, but stay with it.


And then I found this....