Epress.am News from Armenia
The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) today presented the results of the 2011 Global Peace Index, which ranked Armenia at 109th place among 153 nations in peacefulness.
Rather disparagingly, the report notes that the world is less peaceful for the third straight year. Now in its fifth year, the GPI also shows the threat of terrorism increased in 29 countries.
The index noted that Iceland is the world’s most peaceful nation while Libya tumbled a record 83 spots in rankings. Among Armenia’s neighbors, Georgia ranked 134th place; Azerbaijan,122nd; Turkey, 127th; and Iran, 119th; while Russia was ranked at 147th. Least peaceful among the 153 states was Somalia.
According to the website Vision for Humanity where the Global Peace Index findings are presented in detail, “Most people understand the absence of violence as an indicator of peace. This definition also allows for the measuring of peacefulness within, as well as between, nations. The GPI ranks independent countries by their ‘absence of violence’ using metrics that combine both internal and external factors.
“The Institute for Economics and Peace, in conjunction with the Economist Intelligence Unit and with the guidance of an international team of academics and peace experts, compiled the Global Peace Index (GPI), which is composed of 23 indicators, ranging from a nation’s level of military expenditure to its relations with neighbouring countries and the level of respect for human rights.
“The index has been tested against a range of potential ‘drivers’ or determinants of peace — including levels of democracy and transparency, education and national well-being.”