Flag of Iceland
Every country on this poor pock-marked earth should yearn, no make that STRIVE, to be # 1 on this list.
What you might call the real Peace Train.
Well hats off to Iceland - # 1.
And hats off to Ireland, the country of my birth - # 6.
And hats off to my beloved country of choice, Canada - # 11.
AND HERE BE DRAGONS!
And where does the USA rank? Well it made the top 100 at # 97. Way behind Cuba and Rwanda. Countries were rated on various criteria such as human rights and levels of imprisonment of its citizens, etc.
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The index looks at 24 indicators of external and internal measures of peace, including U.N. deployments overseas and levels of violent crime, respect for human rights, the number of soldiers killed overseas and arms sales
And the response of the US state department?
Commenting on the U.S. ranking, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said to realize a more peaceful and prosperous world, "Often times, you have to do difficult things and a lot of times, people don't agree with them. They don't like them."
"A lot of times you fall down in these lists but at the end of the day it is in defense of democracy and the way of life we have enjoyed over the past several decades," he added.
More here.
Yeah, we'll bomb y'all into peace. Wait 'n see.
And PS, Iraq has been bombed into last place on the list.
Aaaand PPS, Shouldn't peace be, like, the NORM????
That's going through life with blinders on, like Americans are good at doing. It's the greatest country in the world to live in, after all.
ReplyDeleteI see the Netherlands only made it to number 22. I think we ought to do better. I think we should make that a priority.
Not surprised the USA was 97. The government's ability to deny the reality of their destructive and arrogant activities seems to know no bounds. I see the UK is only 49, the result of a so-called Labour government which is busy whacking the poor and disadvantaged at every opportunity.
ReplyDeleteIrene:
ReplyDeleteThe brainwashing of its own citizens and its insularity never fails to astound me when it comes to the USA.
Nick:
I never thought to see the day in Britain when the Labour Party was anti-labour and pro-corporatocracy.
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I echo your views, WWW.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was interesting though
The Group of Eight major economic powers were a mixed bag. Japan ranked fifth, Canada 11th, Germany 14th, Italy 28th, France 36th and Britain 49th. Russia was near the bottom at 131st, the only one in the group below the United States.
Japan, Germany, Italy all fought against Britain and the allies in World War 2 and all are above Britain and the US now.
I'm not sure what significance, if any, attaches to this. :-)
Good spot, T! They all suffered mightily from WW2 and mainland US was never affected until 9/11.
ReplyDeleteChina I would have figured lower than 67.
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".....you have to do difficult things and a lot of times, people don't agree with them. They don't like them."
ReplyDeleteIn a democracy that seems a good reason for not doing them.
Logic has no place in all of this, RJA.
ReplyDeleteSeen any good democracies lately? ;^)
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