Study: Lebanon One of Least Peaceful Countries in World, Better than Israel
| Lebanon is one of the least peaceful countries in the world, Norway is the safest and Iraq is the worst, according to a study released Wednesday. The Global Peace Index, published a week before a Group of Eight (G8) summit in Germany, rates 121 countries from Algeria to Zimbabwe on factors including levels of violence, organized crime and military expenditure. According to the study, Iraq is the least peaceful and Lebanon is 8th from the bottom and ranked 114th. The United States fell to rank 96 while Russia occupied 118, or the fifth bottom-up. The index had Japan near the top, while Israel was worst than trouble-ridden Lebanon. “This is a wake-up call for leaders around the globe,” said Steve Killelea, who commissioned the study from the Economist Intelligence Unit, which is linked to the news weekly The Economist. “Countries like Japan and Germany can give hope and optimism to countries further down the Index that there can be light at the end of what may seem at the moment like a very dark tunnel,” he added. Overall the study found that small, stable countries which are part of regional blocs such as the 27-nation European Union are most likely to be more peaceful. Income and education are crucial in promoting peace, it said. “I believe there is a link between the peacefulness and the wealth of nations and therefore business has a key role to play in peace,” said Killelea.(AFP-Naharnet) Here are the top 10 and bottom 10 countries in the index: TOP 10 BOTTOM 10 |
| Beirut, 30 May 07 |
