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Thread: World peace? These are the only 11 countries in the world that are actually free from conflict

  1. #1

    World peace? These are the only 11 countries in the world that are actually free from conflict

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...t-9669623.html


    With the crisis in Gaza, the rise of Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria and the international stand-off ongoing in Ukraine, it can sometimes feel like the whole world is at war.

    But experts believe this is actually almost universally the case, according to a think-tank which produces one of the world’s leading measures of “global peacefulness” – and things are only going to get worse.

    It may make for bleak reading, but of the 162 countries covered by the Institute for Economics and Peace’s (IEP’s) latest study, just 11 were not involved in conflict of one kind or another.

    Worse still, the world as a whole has been getting incrementally less peaceful every year since 2007 – sharply bucking a trend that had seen a global move away from conflict since the end of the Second World War.

    The UK, as an example, is relatively free from internal conflict, making it easy to fall to thinking it exists in a state of peace. But recent involvement in foreign fighting in the likes of Afghanistan, as well as a fairly high state of militarisation, means Britain actually scores quite poorly on the 2014 Global Peace Index, coming 47th overall.

    Then there are countries which are involved in no actual foreign wars involving deaths whatsoever - like North Korea – but which are fraught by the most divisive and entrenched internal conflicts.

    The IEP’s findings mean that choices are slim if you want to live in a completely peaceful country. The only ones to achieve the lowest score for all forms of conflict were Switzerland, Japan, Qatar, Mauritius, Uruguay, Chile, Botswana, Costa Rica, Vietnam, Panama and Brazil.

    And even those countries are not entirely exempt from other problems that, the IEP says, could lend to conflict further down the line.

    In Brazil and Costa Rica, for instance, the level of internal conflict may be the lowest possible – but civilian access to small arms and the likelihood of violent demonstrations are worryingly high.
    more at link



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  3. #2
    Why is civilian access to small arms worrying?

  4. #3
    "War is the Health of the State" -- Randolph Bourne (1918)

  5. #4
    Free people capable of defending themselves is unstable for those who wish to own you.

    Quote Originally Posted by FreedomFanatic View Post
    Why is civilian access to small arms worrying?
    "Like an army falling, one by one by one" - Linkin Park

  6. #5
    Wait for it, Switzerland, Japan, Qatar, Mauritius, Uruguay, Chile, Botswana, Costa Rica, Vietnam, Panama and Brazil soon to be added to the Axis of Evil.

  7. #6
    I have been trying to save up for a move to Uruguay for a couple of years now. The government there, both fortunately and unfortunately (the latter because I want govt out of it), sells weed to its people! They have pretty good gun rights, same crime rates as here, no natural disasters in recording history, etc., etc., etc. Oh, and my job (online poker) is legal there...and there are NO TAXES on foreign derived income (all of my income is derived online from a foreign-based site). They do have a hefty sales tax, which sucks, but it is only on what you spend there, so it doesn't tax every dollar unless you spend every dollar to live (and the median income there is just $8,000 a year, so you don't need to spend much by our standards to live pretty well). If not for health problems over the last couple years, and the state stealing my poker bankroll from me after raiding and shutting down Full Tilt Poker (although after 3 years, no charges, etc., they gave the money back - with no interest, apology, or remuneration for inflation), I'd already be there.
    Quote Originally Posted by Xerographica View Post

    Yes, I want to force consumers to buy trampolines, popcorn, environmental protection and national defense whether or not they really demand them. And I definitely want to outlaw all alternatives. Nobody should be allowed to compete with the state. Private security companies, private healthcare, private package delivery, private education, private disaster relief, private militias...should all be outlawed.
    ^Minimalist state socialism (minarchy) taken to its logical conclusions; communism.

  8. #7
    No mention of Canada?

  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    No mention of Canada?
    did you read the article? Canada has troops in the "war on terror"



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  11. #9
    They are ranked as #7 on the Peaceful Country list. And I don't see that in the article the OP links to (maybe I missed it? Read it a few times).

  12. #10
    What about Canada? They're fighting in the US Empire's global war on freedom too.
    Based on the idea of natural rights, government secures those rights to the individual by strictly negative intervention, making justice costless and easy of access; and beyond that it does not go. The State, on the other hand, both in its genesis and by its primary intention, is purely anti-social. It is not based on the idea of natural rights, but on the idea that the individual has no rights except those that the State may provisionally grant him. It has always made justice costly and difficult of access, and has invariably held itself above justice and common morality whenever it could advantage itself by so doing.
    --Albert J. Nock

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    They are ranked as #7 on the Peaceful Country list. And I don't see that in the article the OP links to (maybe I missed it? Read it a few times).
    NATO plane arrives in Ukraine with $4.5 mn worth of military aid for Kiev troops


    NATO plane arrives in Ukraine with $4.5 mn worth of military aid for Kiev troops...



    A massive Canadian transport plane has arrived in Kiev carrying US$4.5 million worth of "non-lethal" military equipment to help Ukraine...

    The news comes after Russia banned the imports of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, and dairy products from the 28 countries of the EU, the US, Canada, Norway, and Australia for one year.

    Russia’s ban is set to cost Canadian pork farmers more than $500 million. But the Canadian government is continuing its current stance on the matter. “We will not be intimidated by these kinds of tactics,” Canadian Industry Minister James Moore said.

  14. #12
    They're stuck in Irak too. Put some troops in Poland also, to help start WWIII.
    Based on the idea of natural rights, government secures those rights to the individual by strictly negative intervention, making justice costless and easy of access; and beyond that it does not go. The State, on the other hand, both in its genesis and by its primary intention, is purely anti-social. It is not based on the idea of natural rights, but on the idea that the individual has no rights except those that the State may provisionally grant him. It has always made justice costly and difficult of access, and has invariably held itself above justice and common morality whenever it could advantage itself by so doing.
    --Albert J. Nock

  15. #13
    Well at least they aren't too mean.

    A massive Canadian transport plane has arrived in Kiev carrying US$4.5 million worth of non-lethal military equipment to help Ukraine...
    Maybe it is the fruits and vegetables Russia decided not to buy.
    Last edited by Zippyjuan; 08-16-2014 at 02:15 PM.

  16. #14
    That is not the limit of Canada's involvement in the American Empire's global war on freedom, Zippy. In the future, you might want to hit teh google before making embarrassing pronouncements.
    Based on the idea of natural rights, government secures those rights to the individual by strictly negative intervention, making justice costless and easy of access; and beyond that it does not go. The State, on the other hand, both in its genesis and by its primary intention, is purely anti-social. It is not based on the idea of natural rights, but on the idea that the individual has no rights except those that the State may provisionally grant him. It has always made justice costly and difficult of access, and has invariably held itself above justice and common morality whenever it could advantage itself by so doing.
    --Albert J. Nock

  17. #15
    Just double checking the list at the Independent:
    The only ones to achieve the lowest score for all forms of conflict were Switzerland, Japan, Qatar, Mauritius, Uruguay, Chile, Botswana, Costa Rica, Vietnam, Panama and Brazil.
    with the Global Peace map and rankings the Independent cites: http://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/pa...al-peace-index

    and they don't match up.
    Switzerland: #5 out of 162
    Japan: #8 out of 162
    Qatar: #22
    Mauritius: #24
    Uruguay: #29
    Chile: #30
    Botswana: #36
    Costa Rica: #42
    Vietnam: #45
    Panama: #57
    Brazil: #91 out of 162. Lower half of all countries.

    Report highlights:
    Europe retains its position as the most peaceful region with 14 of the top 20 most peaceful countries.
    The most peaceful countries are Iceland, Denmark and New Zealand.

    Georgia, Cote d’Ivoire and Libya all made the biggest improvements in peace since last year. A common characteristic in all these countries is the ongoing improvement in political stability in the wake of conflict.

    Syria replaces Afghanistan as the world’s least peaceful country. South Sudan experienced the largest fall on the Global Peace Index and dropping 16 places to rank 160th of 162 countries.
    Yet Iceland, Denmark and New Zealand aren't at all in the Top Eleven of the Independent's "Most Peaceful Countries" list- despite using the same source for their information.

    Methodology

    The Global Peace Index ranks 162 countries covering 99.6% of the world’s population. The Index gauges global peace using three themes: the level of safety and security in society, the extent of domestic or international conflict, and the degree of militarisation. It ranks countries according to 22 indicators of peace. Read the Global Peace Index methodology article for a full list of indicators, scores, weighting and more.
    They rank the US as #102 out of 162.
    Last edited by Zippyjuan; 08-16-2014 at 02:54 PM.

  18. #16
    Only the dead have seen the end of war.
    Out of every one hundred men they send us, ten should not even be here. Eighty will do nothing but serve as targets for the enemy. Nine are real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, upon them depends our success in battle. But one, ah the one, he is a real warrior, and he will bring the others back from battle alive.

    Duty is the most sublime word in the English language. Do your duty in all things. You can not do more than your duty. You should never wish to do less than your duty.



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  20. #17
    Such has been true throughout history.

    Maybe one day?

  21. #18
    This might depress people.

    http://www.salon.com/2014/01/15/were...ption_partner/

    WEDNESDAY, JAN 15, 2014 05:50 AM PST
    We’re living through the “most peaceful era” in human history — with one big exception

    This article originally appeared on AlterNet.

    AlterNetStudies demonstrate the world is becoming less violent, and that human warfare is on the decline. There is one aspect of the human existence, however, that continues to ignite humans to commit violence and atrocities against fellow humans. A major new study published by the Pew Research Center shows that religious hostilities reached a 6-year high in 2012.

    Dr. Steven Pinker, Pulitzer prize-winning author and Harvard psychology professor, writes, “Today we may be living in the most peaceful era in our species’ existence.” He acknowledges: “In a century that began with 9/11, Iraq, and Darfur, the claim that we are living in an unusually peaceful time may strike you as somewhere between hallucinatory and obscene.” Pinker points out, wars make headlines, but there are fewer conflicts today, and wars don’t kill as many people as they did in the Middle Ages, for instance. Also, global rates of violent crime have plummeted in the last few decades. Pinker notes that the reason for these advances are complex but certainly the rise of education, and a growing willingness to put ourselves in the shoes of others has played its part.

    Religiosity, however, continues to play its part in promoting in-group out-group thinking, which casts the difference between people in terms of eternal rewards and punishments. Sam Harris, author of Letter to a Christian Nation, observes, “Faith inspires violence in two ways. First, people often kill other human beings because they believe the creator of the universe wants them to do it…Second, far greater numbers of people fall into conflict with one another because they define their moral community on the basis of their religious affiliation: Muslims side with Muslims, Protestants with Protestants, Catholics with Catholics.”

    According to the Pew Research Center, a third (33%) of the 198 countries and territories included in the study had high religious hostilities in 2012, up from 29% in 2011 and 20% as of mid-2007. Notably, religious hostilities increased in every major region of the world except the Americas, with the most dramatic increases felt in areas still reeling from the effects of the 2010-11 political uprisings known as the Arab Spring.
    More at link.
    Last edited by Zippyjuan; 08-16-2014 at 07:00 PM.

  22. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by CaseyJones View Post
    did you read the article? Canada has troops in the "war on terror"
    No, they don't.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Pinochet is the model
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Liberty preserving authoritarianism.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Enforced internal open borders was one of the worst elements of the Constitution.

  23. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by TheCount View Post

    Canada's role in the Afghanistan War began in late 2001. Canada sent its first element of Canadian soldiers secretly in October 2001 from Joint Task Force 2,[1] and the first contingents of regular Canadian troops arrived in Afghanistan in January–February 2002. Canada took on a larger role starting in 2006 after the Canadian troops were redeployed to Kandahar province. There were 2,500 Canadian Forces (CF) personnel in Afghanistan and 1,200 comprised the combat battle group.[2] At the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that an undisclosed number of Canadian soldiers would remain in the country to help train and mentor the Afghan National Army until 12 March 2014 (though Canadian troops ended their combat role there in 2011).
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada%...fghanistan_War

    gee missed it by that much...

  24. #21
    So basically nobody since 2011.

  25. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    So basically nobody since 2011.
    At the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that an undisclosed number of Canadian soldiers would remain in the country to help train and mentor the Afghan National Army until 12 March 2014
    the old Zippy had better reading comprehension

  26. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by CaseyJones View Post
    the old Zippy had better reading comprehension
    Yes. Basically nobody. A few remained until March of this year to train Afghanis but most were gone by 2011.

    though Canadian troops ended their combat role there in 2011.
    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle17538898/

    Last Canadian troops return home from Afghan mission

    There were tears, smiles and warm embraces as loved ones greeted the final homecoming flight from Kabul – the last soldiers to return from a costly military mission that spanned more than a decade and claimed the lives of 162 Canadians.

    And now, three years after it ended combat operations in the Afghanistan war, Canada is finally marking the end of its soldiering in the conflict-ridden central Asian country.

    The Conservative government, which sent home combat troops in 2011, was unable to declare the mission over then because its allies pressed Ottawa to tack three years of military training operations onto the end of its deployment. That aid to the Afghan government just ended.

    On Tuesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Governor-General David Johnston and senior military brass gathered at the Ottawa airport to greet returning Canadian Armed Forces members, the remainder of more than 40,000 soldiers from this country who have served as part of the Afghanistan mission since 2002.
    Last edited by Zippyjuan; 08-16-2014 at 08:27 PM.

  27. #24
    ya and my pops was an "adviser" in vietnam to... and all they did was "advise" sure



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  29. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    Yes. Basically nobody. A few remained until March of this year but most were gone by 2011.
    And will you be calling this undisclosed number of trained Canadian soldiers 'nobodies' to their faces?

    'Cause I want to sell tickets to that...
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    You only want the freedoms that will undermine the nation and lead to the destruction of liberty.

  30. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by acptulsa View Post
    And will you be calling this undisclosed number of trained Canadian soldiers 'nobodies' to their faces?

    'Cause I want to sell tickets to that...
    So how many were there after 2011?

    http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/pm-decl...home-1.1734248

    With outstretched arms and big smiles, the last 94 Canadian soldiers who served in Afghanistan returned home to their loved ones Tuesday.
    Inside an Ottawa hangar, dozens of emotional reunions unfolded as soldiers hugged and kissed their spouses, children and family members.


  31. #27
    why the $#@! are you even niggling the point of Canada? way to miss the big picture man

  32. #28
    I am questioning the entire list itself. The one the Independent posted leaves off their "free eleven" countries in the Top Ten Free countries like Canada (#7 on the other list) from their source and includes ones like Brazil which aren't even in the top half of the original list. North Korea is not at war with anybody. Would the be considered one of the "freest" countries? Why is Iceland not on the Top Eleven list (number one on the Global Freedom map)?
    Last edited by Zippyjuan; 08-16-2014 at 08:41 PM.

  33. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by CaseyJones View Post
    why the $#@! are you even niggling the point of Canada? way to miss the big picture man
    That's what he's paid for.

    If someone asks if Pearl Harbor was set up for the fall deliberately, his job is to say the flagship Pennsylvania had 26 five inch guns when she didn't get a dozen of those until after the attack. His job is to wonder aloud if the eight sixteen inch guns of the Colorado class made them better than the twelve fourteen inch guns of the Tennessees even though neither caliber could hit an airplane on a dare. His job is to get us so mired down in minutiae that we spend all our time pwning him while they steal our grandmothers' life savings.

    He is paid to sell his soul to the devil trying to maintain that the conventional wisdom is both conventional and wise when it is obviously neither. He's a professional trivial pursuer.

    He is paid to distract people from the big picture. Give him a break. If he doesn't sell his honour and his soul to the devil for .37 a post, how will he buy that new bicycle tyre he's got his eye on?
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    You only want the freedoms that will undermine the nation and lead to the destruction of liberty.

  34. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by CaseyJones View Post
    Try clicking my link.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Pinochet is the model
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Liberty preserving authoritarianism.
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Enforced internal open borders was one of the worst elements of the Constitution.

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