H7X4 – AP COMPARATIVE POLITICS



EXAMINING THE FAILED STATES INDEX 2013

AIM: How does the Failed States Index indicate why states fail?

The Failed States Index is a joint production of Foreign Policy (FP) and the Fund For Peace (FFP). It is designed to give a measurement of stability in every state—or, in the words of your textbook—the autonomy and capacity enjoyed by every state. The Index is displayed slightly differently on the websites of the two organizations, so this exercise will ask you to move back and forth between them.

First, navigate to the Foreign Policy Failed States Index site, available at



1. Look first through the photo slideshow entitled “Postcards from Hell”. Based on the pictures and captions, how could you describe the government and politics in a failed or nearly-failed state? How does that seem differ from a secure state?



Use this website to answer questions 2-4:



2. What does the Fund for Peace consider to be “state failure”?

3. Review the 12 indicators of state vulnerability that Fund for Peace uses. Are there any that you either strongly agree or disagree with? Are there any indicators that you would either add or take away from this list? Is this list acceptable for determining state failure?

4. According the Fund for Peace, are there examples of states that have been pulled

back from the brink of failure?

5. Look up the AP countries (UK, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, China and Iran) on this website:



Are any at risk for state failure? Which ones? Based on other work we’ve done,

do you agree or disagree with those ratings?

6. Then examine the Index in more detail: From what you already know about the world, are you surprised by any of the rankings of states on the Failed States Index? For example, are you surprised that the United States ranks 159th in the world?

7. Scroll through the 10 Reasons why states fall apart on the 2012 Failed States Index.

Why do you think are so many South American countries mentioned?

8. Look at this article, which highlights the top 10 failed states. Is there anything that you can suggest that could improve the conditions in these countries? Try to pick at least 2 countries and make some reasonable suggestions for how you would improve the situation in those countries.



9. Check out:



Fund for Peace includes a description of what the Failed States Index teaches us

about states. To what extent do you agree with them?

10. Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index

Check out this chart -



Are there any countries that surprise you? Are you surprised at what the United States in ranked? Are you surprised that Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia are ranked as the most corrupt countries in the world?

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