PEACE & STABILITY: THE U.S. RANKS LAST

For Peace & Stability, The U.S. Ranks Last.

Kenneth Rapoza, Contributor

I cover Brazil, Russia, India & China

Despite ranking dead last among rich developed countries, the U.S. ranks high for civil liberties.

Gun violence, the war on terrorism, and political divisions in Washington make the United States rank dead last in peace and stability compared to every rich developed nation. According to the Global Peace Index, released on Tuesday, the U.S. ranks even worse than African nations like Tanzania.
If you want peace of mind, dear immigrants, don’t come here, might be the message.
The Index measures the state of peace in 162 countries and is conducted by the Institute for Economics and Peace in New York. The index uses qualitative and quantitative data to gauge internal and external levels of peace on matters such as number of jailed citizens, militarization, political participation and freedom of the press, among other things.
The GPI Report provides an analysis of the Institute’s data, identifying trends in peace over time, as well as the key drivers of peace and an economic calculation of the impact of violence to the global economy.
War and political violence have placed a target on America’s collective backs.  The United States surely isn’t licked yet in comparison to its wealthy friends in Europe, Canada and in the Asian-Pacific rim.
On individual matters, the U.S. scores quite high. On a scale of one to five, with five being least secure, the U.S. scores poorly on gun-related violence, terrorism, overseas conflicts, education spending, and militarization. It does best on adult literacy, civil liberties and — to some this may seem totally ironic, but — the electoral process.
The slideshow below shows the 10 most peaceful countries in the GPI.
Here’s a look at the most peaceful and the least peaceful in certain parts of the world.
North America
Most Peaceful:   Canada                                Most Stressed:  The United States
Latin America
Most Peaceful: Uruguay                                Most Stressed: Colombia
Continental Europe
Most Peaceful: Denmark                               Most Stressed: Russia
Middle East

Most Peaceful: Qatar                                      Most Stressed: Syria
Africa
Most Peaceful: Botswana                              Most Stressed: Somalia
Asia Sub-Continent
Most Peaceful: Bhutan                                   Most Stressed: Afghanistan
Asia-Pacific
Most Peaceful: New Zealand                       Most Stresssed: North Korea.