Iraq ranks #2 on failed state index.
By on Jun 18th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Iraq ranks #2 on failed state index.
Sudan ranks first and Iraq ranks second in a new ranking of 177 countries in order of their “vulnerability to violent and internal conflict and societal deterioration.” Iraq’s position “dropped for a third consecutive year.” Nevertheless, as Salon’s Tim Grieve points out, U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker yesterday “said the situation in Iraq now is ‘a mixed picture’ but ‘not by any means a hopeless one.’”
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what a surprise… :(
June 18th, 2007 at 11:06 amU.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker yesterday “said the situation in Iraq now is ‘a mixed picture’ but ‘not by any means a hopeless one
Hmmm, define “hopeless’ for us, Ray. I’m dying to hear this… as are far too many Iraqis.
June 18th, 2007 at 11:08 amAs they used to say in Top 40 radio, Iraq is moving up the charts this week. It’s now #2 w/ a BULLET.
But they looooove George in Albania…
June 18th, 2007 at 11:10 amIn other words, all is going as planned.
June 18th, 2007 at 11:12 amNot hopeless, as long as there is oil in the ground and neocons in charge.
June 18th, 2007 at 11:13 amCome to think of it, it does seem appropriate that the man’s name is “CROCKER”, huh?
June 18th, 2007 at 11:18 amI would rank Iraq 1st, then Afganistan 2nd, then Sudan 3rd.
June 18th, 2007 at 11:19 amOf course it is… Sunni’s attacking Shiites, Shiites attacking Sunni’s, and both of them attacking Kurds.
Gotta love them peace-loving Islamofascists.
June 18th, 2007 at 11:24 amHey, Jay, don’t forget Somalia on that list, and Texas too.
June 18th, 2007 at 11:24 amGotta love them peace-loving Islamofascists.
Comment by Dale
And that’s the reason we’re giving weapons to Sunnis (the same people that attacked us on 9/11!!!), Dale, so they can turn around and start killing American soldiers once they’re doing killing the Shiites… ah, what was your point?
June 18th, 2007 at 11:26 amRepublic, I thought it was Crooker, as in more of a crook?
June 18th, 2007 at 11:32 amRepublic, I thought it was Crooker, as in more of a crook?
Comment by RUCerious
Crooker, crocker… what’s a vowel amongst friends?
This horrific mess has been brought to you by the letter “O”…
Actually, more like, by the letters “B”, “U”, “S”, & “H”….
June 18th, 2007 at 11:35 amYes, but we’ve “turned the corner” and “the surge is working.” Soon the “Iraqis will step up” and take charge of this “young democracy” and “greet us as liberators.”
June 18th, 2007 at 11:38 amI wonder if Ryan’s mom Betty knows what he’s doing for a living?
June 18th, 2007 at 11:38 amIf so, she probably tells her coffee klatch friends he’s a doctor in uptown Manhattan.
DM ~ It’s hard to get dead Iraqi soldiers to stand up, let alone dead Iraqi civilians.
June 18th, 2007 at 11:39 amMy point is that it’s so popular to blame this all on Pres. Bush; but who will agree that the various Islamic factions are always going to attack each other?
June 18th, 2007 at 11:40 amJust like they were doing under Sadaam’s rule. Some people just get along better under a dictator’s thumb. Like Dale.
June 18th, 2007 at 11:42 amso how far up the list is the good old US of A?
June 18th, 2007 at 11:43 amAnd Bush is ranked #1 on the global failure scale.
June 18th, 2007 at 11:46 amah, what was your point?
Comment by The Republic of Stupidity — June 18, 2007 @ 11:26 am
My point is that it’s so popular to blame this all on Pres. Bush; but who will agree that the various Islamic factions are always going to attack each other?
Comment by Dale
Well, seeing as W was thoroughly warned by many, including his own father, that this would happen if he actually attacked and invaded, and it was an invasion, and that the US was totally unprepared for the resultant occupation of the country, it’s hard to not blame W for alot of this mess. If I’m not mistaken, dear old Rummy actaully threatened to fire anyone who brought up the post-war occupation, and lack of planning therein.
If you like, we can shift some of the blame to Cheney, and Wolfie, and Richard Perle… but we can’t blame Condi, though… she wears Prada!
June 18th, 2007 at 11:52 amAnd Bush is ranked #1 on the global failure scale.
Comment by VerbalKint — June 18, 2007 @ 11:46 am
Sure, now he’ll spend the rest of the day yelling “I’m Number One, I’m Number One…”
June 18th, 2007 at 11:53 amso how far up the list is the good old US of A?
Comment by jslash6
Just below Texas, but right above Albania…
June 18th, 2007 at 11:53 amIm surprised the United States of Theocracy doesn’t rank number 1 in societal degredation. Maybe the study design was flawed and thats why we didn’t make it that high?
June 18th, 2007 at 11:58 amMy father ran the foreign sales a major Canadian energy contactor. He said it was shocking how many so-called democratic countries expected to be bribed in order for business to proceed. And how often his own projects were thwarted because an American firm had come in and offered more in the way of cash inducements.
Where are these Free Markets the neo-cons praise? I only see no-bid contracts and coerced trade treaties. Where’s the competition? I only see an orgy of mergers & acquisitions so that nearly every major industry is reduced to a number that can be counted on one hand. Where’s the anti-trust enforcement? Instead we hear of the benefits of synergy and cooperation between those very people who are supposed to be competing.
And let’s face it. Why shouldn’t the Public provide necessary services? It seems the main reason Public Works are inefficient is when private firms bribe civil servants to provide crappy contract work. Time and again it has been proved that the Private Sector cannot do it better, faster, cheaper than the Public Sector. Either quality is sacrificed or it takes longer or there are mysterious cost overruns.
The biggest reason for Failed States is that we no longer have faith in the Idea of the Nation State. And too many have greater loyalty to the Corporate States of the Multinationals.
June 18th, 2007 at 12:01 pmFailed presidents create failed states. Let’s impeach Bush/Cheney before America gets added to the list!
http://www.impeachbush.org
June 18th, 2007 at 12:05 pmU.S. Military World’s Leading Gas Guzzler
The U.S. Department of Defense is the world’s leading consumer of petroleum, sucking up about 340,000 barrels of oil every day, more than the total national consumption of Sweden or Switzerland.
http://www.priceofoil.org/
June 18th, 2007 at 12:58 pmSo explain the current mess in Palestine? Oh wait, it must all be the fault of the evil Joos.
As long as we don’t blame the actual participants… you know, the radical islamists who are perpetuating this.
June 18th, 2007 at 1:28 pmThe U.S. Department of Defense is the world’s leading consumer of petroleum, sucking up about 340,000 barrels of oil every day, more than the total national consumption of Sweden or Switzerland.
http://www.priceofoil.org/
Comment by Tobey Tall
I’ve been wondering about that for a long, long time Tobey Tall.
June 18th, 2007 at 1:36 pmJust like they were doing under Sadaam’s rule. Some people just get along better under a dictator’s thumb. Like Dale.
Comment by RUCerious — June 18, 2007 @ 11:42 am
So explain the current mess in Palestine?
Well, the most recent mess in Palestine started with elections… so, there’s the explanation there.
June 18th, 2007 at 2:58 pmYou’re missing the point Eric; it’s so much fun to blame Pres. Bush and his policies for Iraq, but the historic animosity between Sunni’s and Shiites is completely overlooked.
June 18th, 2007 at 3:41 pmYou’re missing the point Eric; it’s so much fun to blame Pres. Bush and his policies for Iraq, but the historic animosity between Sunni’s and Shiites is completely overlooked.
Comment by Dale — June 18, 2007 @ 3:41 pm
So if Bush were to blow up a dam and the rushing water destroyed a town in its path, do we blame the water?
June 18th, 2007 at 3:48 pmDepends; has the water been rushing through the town since the 7th century?
June 18th, 2007 at 4:06 pmYou’re missing the point Eric; it’s so much fun to blame Pres. Bush and his policies for Iraq, but the historic animosity between Sunni’s and Shiites is completely overlooked.
Comment by Dale — June 18, 2007 @ 3:41 pm
Mostly by the idiots that thought we belonged there ie Bush and crew. See how the cirlce of logic works Dale?
June 18th, 2007 at 4:11 pmAh, so *your* solution is to just ignore the problem?
June 18th, 2007 at 4:14 pmWhich problem would that be. If you are suggesting the problem of sectarian hatred, I don’t remember that being one of the many explainations given as justification for the Iraqi campaign
June 18th, 2007 at 4:22 pmDepends; has the water been rushing through the town since the 7th century?
Comment by Dale — June 18, 2007 @ 4:06 pm
Exactly my point. The consequences of toppling Saddam were clear, the blame falls on whoever failed to plan for the aftermath.
June 18th, 2007 at 4:39 pmYou’re kidding right? While nobody may have mentioned the words “sectarian hatred”, why do you think Hussein repressed the Kurds and Shiites? Or are you under the assumption that everything was rosy in Iraq… have you forgotten the 5000 Kurds that were gassed?
(Here it comes: “Look how many have died since we invaded”)
But don’t blame the Shiites, Sunni’s or Kurds… it’s all Bush’s fault, right?
June 18th, 2007 at 4:39 pmGeorge H.W. Bush declined to remove Saddam Hussein from power becaues he realised that Iraq would be Way too unstable afterwards. Along comes the Chose One and puts Daddy’s reasoning aside. George H. did what he’s done all his adult life. First he’s given a job he doesn’t earn. Next he makes the worst choices he can. Then he insists he’s (literally) God’s Gift and can do no wrong. Its what he does best. Regrettably the parallel breaks down here. After he totally screws up, he gets rewarded, somebody cleans up the mess and he moves on. Well folks, we have met the cleanup crew, and it is us. All courtesy of George H. Bush. Heck of a job, Georgie.
June 18th, 2007 at 4:46 pmYou’re kidding right? While nobody may have mentioned the words “sectarian hatredâ€, why do you think Hussein repressed the Kurds and Shiites? Or are you under the assumption that everything was rosy in Iraq… have you forgotten the 5000 Kurds that were gassed?
(Here it comes: “Look how many have died since we invadedâ€)
But don’t blame the Shiites, Sunni’s or Kurds… it’s all Bush’s fault, right?
Comment by Dale — June 18, 2007 @ 4:39 pm
Dale:
June 18th, 2007 at 4:55 pmI disagree not that sectarian hatred is a problem in many places. My question is were you so concerned about the unfortunate conditions in Iraq prior to our adventure. Did you recognize the futility of sunni/shia conflict and were you calling for American intervention to impact a change? I assume if so you have been a strong advocate for intervention in many such conflicts be they in Darfur, Rwanda, Northern Ireland or wherever. You suggested that my position was to ignore the problem. It is not. However, the noble goal of attempting to mediate and improve long held animosities is a challenging one and history has shown most nations ill-prepared to do so. Most people in the States including many in power did not even understand the differences between the sectarian and ethic groupings. Either you were clearly ahead of your time or you are trying to divert attention from the ill advised American actions in a sovereign nation in order to provide cover for an administration which clearly needs to be called out for their mistakes. I trust it is the first
Yes, I did watch what was going on in Iraq… admittedly not as closely pre-9/11 as post-9/11, but I did feel that something needed to be done.
You’re correct in that we were ill-prepared to try to end the sectarian violence, and Pres. Bush has made more than his share of mistakes. I see some on here (though not you, at least in this thread :-) who’ve tried to blame Pres. Bush for all the violence going on in Iraq, pointedly ignoring the long history between the groups.
I’m not a total Bush apologist; while I think he’s done some things right, I also think he’s done quite a bit wrong. I just get tired of the ‘blame america first’ attitude that I sometimes run across.
In any event… way past time to go home… I enjoyed the discussion, thanks.
June 18th, 2007 at 5:40 pmTake care Dale. I am late for my night job.
June 18th, 2007 at 5:46 pm