New Zealand most peaceful nation – still

For the second year in a row, New Zealand has been ranked the nation in the world most at peace. The Global Peace Index (GPI) ranked 149 countries, evaluating “23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from respected sources, which combine internal and external factors ranging from a nation’s level of military expenditure to its relations with neighbouring countries and the level of respect for human rights.”

This is the fourth edition of the GPI, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, a “global think tank dedicated to the research and education of the relationship between economic development, business and peace.” The GPI report was written in cooperation with the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The GPI is significant because it’s fairly unique among global indices in that it attempts to rank countries on something other than economic performance alone. Most global economic indices are also heavily slanted toward business interests, downplaying or even ignoring the needs of ordinary people. The GPI, by contrast, looks at variety of factors, including political stability, respect for human rights and, well, peacefulness. In other words, the GPI ranks things that are a necessary base for a society to thrive and grow.

The GPI notes that, “small, stable and democratic countries are consistently ranked highest,” which shouldn’t be a surprise: Such countries are probably among the least likely to launch wars, and they have the greatest self-interest in international cooperation. New Zealand is such a country, promoting international cooperation and negotiation over conflict. It supports these international efforts and UN Peacekeeping far out of scale with its actual size: This country is a world leader in promoting peace. It was, after all, the first nation in the world to go nuclear-free and it did not join the Iraq War.

What the GPI really tells us about the world is that it’s still far too violent a place, but some nations have chosen a course of peace. I think that’s reason for hope.

And because I think that countries should vie and compete with each other to be the most peaceful, not the most aggressive, I’ll point out that among countries I write about, Canada was ranked 14th, Australia 19th, United Kingdom 31st and United States 85th. Still, improving their rankings really isn’t that difficult, is it? All it takes is finding the will.

I may not be religious, but this particular quote has always been among my favourites:

“They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” Isaiah 2:4

Maybe one day we can make it reality.