Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

What Country is Ranked the Most Peaceful?

posted by n1 on Sunday August 10 2014, @03:09PM   Printer-friendly
from the no,-your-guess-wasn't-even-close dept.

gewg_ writes:

AlterNet reports:

"We are living in the most peaceful century in human history; however, the 2014 Global Peace Index shows that the last seven years has shown a notable deterioration in levels of peace."

So begins this year's peace index [script heavy site], an annual report released by the nonprofit Institute for Economics and Peace. The study ranks 162 countries (covering 99.6% of the world's population) according to a complex set of indicators that gauge the absence of violence and political instability. These include a nation's level of military expenditure, its relations with neighboring countries and the percentage of the population held in prisons.

Check out this infographic [pdf] to see which countries are the most and least peaceful, and access the IEP's full report here [pdf].

Most peaceful countries
1. Iceland
2. Denmark
3. Austria
4. New Zealand
5. Switzerland
6. Finland
7. Canada
8. Japan
9. Belgium
10. Norway

Least peaceful countries
1. Syria
2. Afghanistan
3. South Sudan
4. Iraq
5. Somalia
6. Sudan
7. Central African Republic
8. Democratic Republic of the Congo
9. Pakistan
10. North Korea
 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
What Country is Ranked the Most Peaceful? | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 48 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by mhajicek on Sunday August 10 2014, @10:24PM

    by mhajicek (51) Subscriber Badge on Sunday August 10 2014, @10:24PM (#79800)

    The reason the Swiss have enjoyed so much peace is that they've been so well prepared for war that no one wants to attack them.

    --
    The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +1  
       Insightful=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Insightful' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  
    Total Score:   3  

  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday August 11 2014, @03:47AM

    by c0lo (156) on Monday August 11 2014, @03:47AM (#79895) Journal

    The reason the Swiss have enjoyed so much peace is that they've been so well prepared for war that no one wants to attack them.

    LoL. You joking, right? You must be joking.

    (fact: in 26 November 1989 ,they considered abolishing the armed forces altogether. Almost got there [wikipedia.org]).

    Usual definitions:
    * brigade [wikipedia.org] - 3-6 batalions, min 3 brigades/division.
    * division [wikipedia.org] - between 10,000 and 30,000 people.

    Swiss army [wikipedia.org]:
    * 8 land brigades (including army reserves)- equiv. max 3 divisions, equiv max 100,000 persons.
    * air - approx 230 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft
    * no real navy [wikipedia.org]
    (yes, I know, army reserves and conscription and all that: what good are soldiers if you don't have enough resources [nationsencyclopedia.com] to build them internally when under attack)

    No, mate. They can and could afford long-lasting peace because they are living in a geography with low strategic value and very high cost to conquer.
    The fact they act as "the Gringotts of the muggle world" also helps (and their geography is suitable for their Gringotts role).

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0

    • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday August 11 2014, @03:54AM

      by c0lo (156) on Monday August 11 2014, @03:54AM (#79898) Journal
      Errata: what good are soldiers if you don't have enough resources to build enough arms for them when under attack
      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0

      • (Score: 2) by bugamn on Tuesday August 12 2014, @03:32AM

        by bugamn (1017) on Tuesday August 12 2014, @03:32AM (#80321)

        No army of clockwork soldiers then? For a moment I thought the Swiss had some new assets.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 11 2014, @04:05PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 11 2014, @04:05PM (#80105)

    I think a bigger factor is that the leaders of all potential attackers have their money there.