Comments on: Global Peace Index – DK second most peaceful country

By: Batir Wardam

Batir Wardam — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 07:14:50 +0000

Ranking is always a relative issue. Some factors have more weight than others. Although Qatar and Oman do not enjoy political freedoms but they enjoy affluence and wealth. which can be considered a major factor. I see the ranking logical inj terms of the indicators of quality of life, and I guess Jordan’s position is not bad at all.

By: Thomas Lund-Sørensen

Thomas Lund-Sørensen — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:01:10 +0000

I agree with you to a large degree. But try to have a look at the different country rankings across the board whether it is peace, freedom, openness, hapiness, corruption to mention a few. The top 10 is always the same group of – smaller, egalitarian, homogenous (and tax heavy!) – countries. It seems like a pattern – they must do something right.

By: Nas

Nas — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:52:50 +0000

“electoral process, functioning of government, political participation, civil liberties and corruption. These political factors are among the most important drivers of peacefulness and stability.”

While I agree in theory, Qatar is ranked 16th on that list and I don’t think it qualifies for any of those prerequisites. Neither does Oman, which ranked higher than the UK.

In any case, this whole index is one that I always found to be a bit fishy. Peace and stability is incredibly difficult to measure and you run the risk of putting all of the world’s countries in one lump, which this list does.

Peace is relative.

So is stability.

There are a myriad of issues that are often times beyond the control of countries and their populations. We are all slaves to the realities that govern us, be they regional, domestic or otherwise. No two countries are the same, and these lists tend to emphasize common denominators over other variables that change the whole nature of the equation in my opinion