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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Snarky Oracle!" data-source="post: 92180" data-attributes="member: 57984">I've always wondered if I'd like to live in Iceland.Iceland and Syria once again come top and bottom of this year’s Global Peace Index -- USA drops the furthestThe rankings are based on a report from the Institute for Economics and Peace, which measured 24 different metrics, taking into account statistical factors such as murder rates and military expenditure, as well as perceptions of criminality and terrorism levels.The factors are combined into a single number, called the Global Peace Index (GPI). The lower this is, the safer a country is regarded.Syria was once ranked the 88th most peaceful country out of 162 nations. But since 2011, the outbreak of civil war and the rise of Islamic State have caused its ranking to drop through the floor, according to The Independent. Where are the most dangerous countries?Three out of the five of the least peaceful countries - Syria, Iraq and Yemen - are in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia’s rivalry with Iran has dramatically increased tensions in an already volatile region, lending support to opposing sides in Syria and fighting a proxy war in the Yemen.The UN estimates violence, famine and disease have killed more than 10,000 people in the Yemen since the start of the conflict but this pales in comparison to the more than half a million people who are believed to have killed during Syria’s six year civil war. Over six million are estimated to have been displaced or fled the country.However, while the situation in these countries continues to deteriorate, many other countries across the Middle East and North Africa became more peaceful in 2016, with the Index specifically highlighting Morocco and Iran where political stability has increased. And the most peaceful? Iceland once again topped the list, earning its rank from a low level of militarisation and conflict both at home and abroad. The country is one of the few in the world – and the only Nato member – without a standing army.However, unlike previous years which were dominated by other Scandinavian countries, the 2017 index ranks New Zealand, Portugal, Austria and Denmark in the top five. What about the UK?Despite increased tensions stoked by last year’s Brexit vote, and a sharp rise in racially motivated attacks, the UK rose six places to 41st. This is still below its 2014 level and it is important to note that the ranking is based on data complied before the Manchester and London terror attacks. And the US?The political fallout and deep rooted division brought on by the US presidential election campaign and Donald Trump’s subsequent victory has led to a dramatic deterioration of peace levels in North America.Out of all countries in the study, the US experienced the greatest decline, falling 11 places to the 114th most-peaceful country out of the 161 in the index.Speaking to Reuters, IEP founder Steve Killelea, said “While the true extent of such significant political polarity in the US will take years to be fully realised, its disruptive influence is already evident”.“Increasing inequality, rising perceptions of corruption, and falling press freedoms have all contributed to this substantial deterioration in the US and an overall decline in peace in the North America region,” he added. So what is the global trend?According to the index, the economic impact of violence on the global economy in 2016 amounted to $14.3 trillion in purchasing power parity terms, equivalent to 12.6% of the world’s GDP or $1,953 for every person.The number of countries not engaged in armed conflict dropped from 10 in 2015 to just four; Botswana, Chile, Mauritius and Uruguy, while the number of countries seeing a record number of deaths from terrorism rose to 23.Yet overall, despite what many perceived as a tumultuous 12 months, the 2017 Global Peace Index said the world had overall become more peaceful in the past year. The 0.28% rise was “driven by a drop in state-sponsored violence, including torture and extrajudicial killings, and a decrease in the murder rate. The delayed effect of the US and UK withdrawing troops from Afghanistan also made itself felt in the research” says the BBC.“Although this year’s up-tick is reassuring, the world is still mired with conflict in the Middle East, political turmoil in the US, refugee flows and terrorism in Europe,” said Killelea.Out of 161 countries assessed, 93 improved on their 2016 index score, with 68 becoming less peaceful. This was a significant improvement on last year’s aggregate change. The top ten most dangerous countries according to the 2017 Global Peace Index:SyriaAfghanistanIraqSouth SudanYemenSomaliaLibyaSudanCentral African RepublicUkraine The top ten safest countries according to the 2017 Global Peace Index:IcelandNew ZealandPortugalAustriaDenmarkCzech RepublicSloveniaCanadaSwitzerlandIrelandInfographic by <a href="http://www.statista.com" target="_blank">www.statista.com</a> for TheWeek.co.ukThis article was from <a href="http://www.theweek.co.uk/64495/the-safest-and-most-dangerous-countries-in-the-world" target="_blank">The Week</a> and was legally licensed through the <a href="https://www.newscred.com/" target="_blank">NewsCred</a> publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to <a href="mailto:legal@newscred.com">legal@newscred.com</a>.<img src="https://pixel.newscred.com/px.gif?key=YXJ0aWNsZT00ZmVlY2JjMGM1NjMxMWU3OWE0ZDBhZmI2ZGQxNjhkYQ==" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />I want to go to there...<img src="http://sites.psu.edu/mdulanblog/wp-content/uploads/sites/15416/2014/09/icelandscenery.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></blockquote>

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