Iran Ranks 44th in the 'Vulnerability' Index of Countries

The Fund for Peace, a research and educational institute, published a report titled 'Country Vulnerability Index' at the end of 2014, categorizing countries worldwide into eleven categories based on their vulnerability. These categories are: very stable, stable, very resilient, resilient, less resilient, in warning range, high warning, very high warning, alarm stage, high alarm, and very high alarm. Among them, Iran, along with 31 other countries, is placed in the 'very high warning' category. The report examines a total of 178 countries across 12 different indicators, with each indicator scoring up to 10 points, where a higher score indicates greater fragility and vulnerability. The indicators include demographic pressures, refugees and internally displaced populations, group dissatisfaction, population flight, unbalanced economic development, economic decline, government legitimacy, public services, human rights and rule of law, security apparatus, elite factionalism, and foreign intervention. Among the 178 countries analyzed in this report, South Sudan ranks first as the 'most fragile' and vulnerable country, while Iran is listed as the 44th 'fragile' country. This is notable as Iran was ranked 37th in the previous year's 'Fund for Peace' vulnerability report. According to analysts at the Fund for Peace, despite global concerns regarding Iran's nuclear program and the pressures from a wide range of sanctions, in 2014, the country managed to improve its position in the vulnerability index. Researchers believe that Iran has somewhat stabilized its situation following recent social crises. Interestingly, all countries that showed improvement last year were those that had cold relations with the United States, including Iran, Serbia, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Bolivia, and China. In the very stable category for 2014, only one country, Finland, is listed. The stable countries in this table include the Netherlands, Austria, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Iceland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, all of which reported very low vulnerability scores. On the other end of the table, in the 'very high alarm' category, five African countries are listed: South Sudan, Somalia, Central African Republic, Congo, and Sudan. Israel is categorized under 'high warning,' with five major vulnerabilities reported in elite factionalism, security apparatus, group dissatisfaction, refugees, and internally displaced populations. The Fund for Peace, which prepared this report, is supported by the United Nations and works with over 60 countries in various sectors, including government, international organizations, universities, media, civil society networks, and the private sector. The goals of this fund are to create practical tools and theoretical approaches to reduce conflicts.