FSI: Ukraine - Most Stable Post-Soviet Country

KYIV, Ukraine, August 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --



Ukraine was recognized the most stable country among almost all of the post-Soviet states, excluding Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, who are now members of the EU. American Fund for Peace's stability rating - The Failed States Index 2013 - includes 178 countries with Ukraine being number 117 (the higher the number - the better; from red to green). According to the index, the situation in Ukraine is much better than in Russia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Moldova, Turkmenistan or any other country of the former USSR.

The index is based on 12 criteria, including demographic pressures, uneven development, human rights, external intervention, and others. Notably, within the three years period - between 2010 and 2013 - Ukraine managed to climb eight points up the scale, approaching the "stable" mark. Currently, however, the Eastern European country is still in the orange zone of the scale, indicating "warning" state.  

While being the leader among post-Soviet non-EU states, Ukraine was also ranked more stable than Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and other European countries. Ukraine's 2013 state as compared to the 2012 rating was described as "uneven economic development". According to the rating, Ukraine's biggest challenge lay within the political and military indicators of state vulnerability, particularly in the area of security apparatus and legitimacy of the state.  

Out of 178 states featured in the rating, Sweden was recognized as the most stable state (178th place) followed by Finland (177th place). In total, there were only 14 countries in the "sustainable" green zone of the rating; 11 of them are European countries, others being Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

African states Somalia, Congo, Sudan, and South Sudan together with non-African Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanistan and Haiti placed in the red zone of the index, indicating the state of "alert".

"The Failed States Index (FSI) presents a diagnosis of the problem, the first step in devising strategies for strengthening weak and failing states. The more reliably policymakers can anticipate, monitor, and measure problems, the more they can act to prevent violent breakdowns, protect civilians caught in the crossfire, and promote recovery," reads ffp.statesindex.org. The FSI focuses on the indicators of risk and is based on articles and reports, processed by CAST Software from electronically available sources.