Malta has ranked 144 out 177 states in a Failed States Index published in Foreign Policy magazine, ranking a reassuring 30 places below Norway and safely tucked in the world’s more stable states.
Sudan and Iraq ranked first and second respectively in the index, which rated 12 social, economic, political and military indicators.
Malta’s highest individual rating was, unsurprisingly, related to migration. Scoring 6.1 in this particular ranking related to the movements of refugees, the rating effectively highlights Malta’s experience in dealing with the forced uprooting of people migrating from Africa.
But it was generally considered to be “moderately stable”, joining other EU member states and countries such as Italy and the US. The states considered to be the most stable were Norway, Sweden and Finland, long considered to be exemplary states of tolerance and a strong welfare tradition.
The index defines “state failure” by various attributes, among them the loss of physical control of its territory or a monopoly on the legitimate use of force – which is why Sudan and Iraq are obviously topmost.
Other attributes include the erosion of legitimate authority, the absence of public services, extensive corruption and criminal behaviour, inability to collect taxes, mass displacement and economic decline and environmental decay.
The largest concentration of failed states were unsurprisingly located in Central Africa, many countries of origin for refugees in Malta such as Sudan, Somalia, Chad, Ivory Coast, Congo, Guinea, and the Central African Republic.
The world’s weakest states are also the most religiously intolerant. Inhabitants from countries with a poor freedom of religion score are often most likely to face internal strife.