A recent article in Foreign Policy magazine called ‘The Worst of the Worse’ compiled a list of the least desirable places to live on the globe. In today’s world we are aware of the hardships and disasters facing many of the world's poorest, much of it inflicted by their own leaders. The countries are listed as following (you may know who the tyrants are):
North Korea (population: 24 million), Zimbabwe (12.5), Burma (49.5), Sudan (41.5) Turkmenistan (5), Eritrea (5), Uzbekistan (27.5), Iran (72), Ethiopia (81), China (1.325bn), Libya (6.3), Syria (20.6), Chad (11), Equatorial Guinea (0.6), Egypt (81.5), Gambia (1.6) Venezuela (28), Burkino Faso (15), Uganda (31.5), Rwanda (9.7), Cuba (11.2), Belarus (9.7), Cameroon (19).
Many will be happy to argue the merits of the list and argue that economic advancement will increase the accountability of government in many places like China and Rwanda. In his excellent book ‘The Bottom Billion’ Paul Collier identifies the four main issues for why countries and people in the bottom billion suffer endlessly from the wrath of economic stagnation: geography, minerals, bad governance and war. All the countries above could definitively be bracketed into one of these categories, some are affected by all.
For many countries the incentives of economic development and foreign investment will mean reform in their practices of government and greater accountability of their law-making bodies. The concern is that instability nowadays doesn’t just breed regional; but global insecurity. War damages economies and ultimately it is the people that suffer. Of the billion plus living in these countries, think of the millions more who have been displaced or migrated to flee trouble in their homeland. Autocrats have always existed and certainly many would consider themselves friends of Western governments, we as citizens have to be aware morally that we cannot live blindly to other people suffering and worst of all what these people are capable of doing.
North Korea (population: 24 million), Zimbabwe (12.5), Burma (49.5), Sudan (41.5) Turkmenistan (5), Eritrea (5), Uzbekistan (27.5), Iran (72), Ethiopia (81), China (1.325bn), Libya (6.3), Syria (20.6), Chad (11), Equatorial Guinea (0.6), Egypt (81.5), Gambia (1.6) Venezuela (28), Burkino Faso (15), Uganda (31.5), Rwanda (9.7), Cuba (11.2), Belarus (9.7), Cameroon (19).
Many will be happy to argue the merits of the list and argue that economic advancement will increase the accountability of government in many places like China and Rwanda. In his excellent book ‘The Bottom Billion’ Paul Collier identifies the four main issues for why countries and people in the bottom billion suffer endlessly from the wrath of economic stagnation: geography, minerals, bad governance and war. All the countries above could definitively be bracketed into one of these categories, some are affected by all.
For many countries the incentives of economic development and foreign investment will mean reform in their practices of government and greater accountability of their law-making bodies. The concern is that instability nowadays doesn’t just breed regional; but global insecurity. War damages economies and ultimately it is the people that suffer. Of the billion plus living in these countries, think of the millions more who have been displaced or migrated to flee trouble in their homeland. Autocrats have always existed and certainly many would consider themselves friends of Western governments, we as citizens have to be aware morally that we cannot live blindly to other people suffering and worst of all what these people are capable of doing.
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