There is something very The Day, Today about the following sentence: ‘The results of the Global Peace Index for 2009 suggest that the world has become slightly less peaceful in the past year’. This is because ‘Rapidly rising unemployment, pay freezes and falls in the value of house prices, savings and pensions is causing popular resentment in many countries, with political repercussions that have been registered by the GPI through various indicators measuring safety and security in society.’
The Global Peace Index has now been ‘peacing out’ the world for three years, with the latest results proving that it’s no coincidence the countries hardly anyone thinks about are the countries where nothing particularly troublesome is occurring. While the USA, China, the UK, France and others duke it out on the international stage for headlines and power with negligible rewards for their citizens, other nations quietly go about their business in the mid-table of first world affairs, which seems to work quite well for their respective populations. Below is the GPI’s top 10 for 2009 according to the twenty-three indicators the GPI uses to collate its information, with 1 being peaceful and 5 being, to use a The Day, Today-esque term, mega-violent.
10. Slovenia
For a country that has only been independent since 25th June 1991, Slovenia is doing really rather well. In the space of two decades it has developed a socio-political model that engenders trust and respect amongst its citizens while maintaining a presence on the world political stage disproportionate to its diminutive size. Its picturesque, varied landscapes and fabulously named capital Ljubljana make it one of the hidden treasures of the world, so take a trip yourself before letting anyone else in on the secret.
9. Finland
It’s next to Norway, right? No, wait, it’s between Sweden and Denmark. Someone will undoubtedly pipe up over a pub quiz conference and make the astounding claim that it lies somewhere between Turkey and the Gulf of Mexico. Ignore these people. It’s difficult to remember where Finland is because, well, nothing really bad happens. In fact, it is difficult to say anything at all about Finland. This might sound like a criticism, but stop and think about how many other countries can balance education, health, finance and politics in a way that makes none of these things any better or worse than the other. There aren’t many.
A hint at what's to come...
8. Canada
Or, the bit above the USA that doesn’t have guns. Indeed, Canada would most likely be quite a few places higher in this list were it not for the fact that the GPI thinks its close perceived proximity to the US and the UK makes it a more likely target for a terrorist attack.
7. Japan
Everything about Japan seems contradictory, from the high privileges placed on elder generations contrasted with the cutting-edge, high-technology younger generation, to the complex importance placed on observing social status mixed with the brutal sub-culture of Hentai and other questionable cultural tropes. Yet despite its schizophrenic social schematic, Japan boasts one of the lowest levels of violent crime in the civilised world. So there.
6. Sweden
If a country is more readily identified with a set series of stereotypes than Sweden, it doesn’t come to mind easily. Volvo. Ryvita. Saunas. IKEA. Yes, the Swedes have all their automotive, wheat-based cracker, sweatroom and furniture needs fully met, which might go some way to explaining the cultural focus on civil liberties. Or perhaps it could be that Sweden is a much more complex country than world sterotypes will allow, and that it being a major exporter of weapons is entirely contradictory to its internal politics and costs it a top five placing.
5. Austria
It may surprise you to find a country that birthed Arnold Schwarzenegger could be considered one of the most peaceful in the world, though the fact that it is rated as one of the richest nations and is in the top 20 in the world according to the Human Development Index might go some way to explaining how it reaches fifth spot in the list.
Bew-dee-full.
4. Iceland
In years gone by, Iceland could well have topped this list. As well as sporting incredibly cheap, advanced geothermal energy supplies, a hugely impressive standard of living for its citizens (including one of the highest average lifespans for both men and women in the world) and a world-renowned welfare system, it’s a very beautiful place. So why the slip? Perhaps the sudden replacement of the entire government less than a year ago due to a catastrophic chain reaction caused by the global economic meltdown has something to do with it.
3. Norway
Despite helping the USA out with its busy invasions of less well developed countries, Norway still creeps in at number three due to the same focus on civil rights, human liberties and religious freedoms and tolerances that most other Scandinavian countries share.
2. Denmark
Again, just like Finland, Sweden, Iceland and Norway lower down this list, Denmark wins its silver medal on the basis of a country-wide attitude that holds gender equality and human rights above personal gain, while maintaining exceedingly low levels of homicide and violent crime.
One of New Zealand's most famous exports.
1. New Zealand
No litter. No graffiti. No vandalism. These are just a few things the average tourist might notice on a visit to New Zealand. Violence here is about as likely as getting struck by lightning. Whatever alchemical socio-political brew the New Zealanders have concocted for themselves, it’s rightly the envy of the world. Other nations might decry the lack of anything truly amazing coming out of the country other than the filming of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but when you can head out of your hotel in the middle of the night carrying a wallet full of money without looking behind you every five seconds, suddenly the trade-off seems worth it.
*And the bottom 5… 5. Sudan / 4. Israel / 3. Somalia / 2. Afghanistan / 1. Iraq