Somalia has for the first time been ranked as the most unstable country in the world, while Israel has fallen into the ranks of the 60 weakest states, according to an annual assessment of the world's most troubled nations.
The 2008 Failed States Index, which is produced by Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace, also argues that Sudan, with its crisis in Darfur, is the world's second most unstable country.
Sudan is closely followed by Zimbabwe. The country's economic crisis and political turmoil have triggered the slide in this year's index.
Israel's low score – it ranks 58th on the list – reflects, in the words of the report, “deteriorating security in the West Bank, the country's sharp economic disparities, political stalemates, ongoing violence, and its failure to fully integrate its Arab minority”.
According to this year's index, seven of the top 10 most unstable countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. With Chad taking fourth place for political instability, sub-Saharan states occupy four of the top five places in the index.
Fifth place goes to Iraq. This is an improvement on last year, when it was ranked as the second most unstable country. The US military surge has been a key factor in the country's performance in the index this year.
However, Iraq's gains do not reflect long-term, fundamental changes, according to the report's authors. “The desperate predicament of 4m refugees at home and abroad, the abysmal state of public services, and the discord among sectarian factions have shown no real improvement,” according to the index.
英国《金融时报》詹姆斯•布利茨(James Blitz)伦敦报道
对世界上最动荡国家的一项年度评估显示，索马里首次被列为世界最不稳定的国家，而以色列也已进入60个最脆弱国家之列。
由于达尔富尔危机，《外交政策》(Foreign Policy)杂志与和平基金会(Fund for Peace)共同制作的“2008失败国家指数”(2008 Failed States Index)将苏丹列为世界第二最不稳定国家。
津巴布韦紧随苏丹之后。该国的经济危机和政治骚乱导致其在今年的指数中排名下滑。
用报告中的话来说，以色列的低分（列第58位）反映出“约旦河西岸恶化的安全状况、该国明显的经济差异、政治僵局、持续暴力冲突以及全面融合阿拉伯少数民族的失败”。
根据今年的指数，最不稳定的10个国家中有7个位于撒哈拉以南非洲。乍得由于政治不稳定名列第四，使得撒哈拉以南国家在指数前5位中占到4个。
第五位是伊拉克，与去年相比有所改善（去年名列第二）。美国军队激增是该国在今年指数中表现改善的关键因素。
然而，报告作者表示，伊拉克的进步并不代表长期、根本性的改变。指数称，“国内外400万难民的绝望困境、公共服务极度恶劣的状况和宗教派别间的分歧并没有出现真正的改善。”