“World undergoing fundamental reshaping of global order”
Portugal has managed to hold on to its ranking as the 7th most peaceful country in the world, in spite of all the recent bad press focusing on an armed militia planning to invade parliament and targeting political figures/ sundry shootings and almost daily reports of violence and other abuses.
The truth is that even taking these dismal stories on board, Portugal is so much better off than the vast majority of countries.
The world is undergoing a “fundamental reshaping of the global order”, and as such global peace levels have deteriorated since last year, confirms the Global Peace Index compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace.
The report records 59 active state-based conflicts – “the most since the end of WWII” – with 100 countries becoming less peaceful than they were a decade ago.
Only six years ago, Portugal also was considered considerably ‘more peaceful’ than it is today, rising to third place in the ranking. But so much since then has changed. Registering the fact that the country has retained its 7th place ranking, television stations were presenting this last night as heartwarming news. Countries like America, for example, are nowhere near as safe (the USA has fallen to 128th place, out of a global ranking of 163). The United Kingdom is in 30th place.
Western and Central Europe are still seen as the most peaceful regions of the world, but researchers warn that “Europe’s security environment is undergoing a profound transformation.
“This year’s Global Peace Index shows that the world is at a critical inflection point. This is driven by rising middle-level powers, major power competition, and unsustainable levels of debt burdens in the world’s most fragile countries.
“This is leading to a fundamental realignment and a possible tipping point to a new international order, the nature of which still can’t be fathomed.”
While attentions right now are on the Israel/ Iran conflict (leaving Ukraine very much in second place, in spite of the relentless attacks it is suffering from invaders), IEP warns that there are more countries/ regions “at high risk” of joining the large number conflicts already underway, citing Kashmir, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Syria. ND
