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Democracy may be spreading, but is the world more stable?

In the second-annual Failed States Index,
FOREIGN POLICY and the Fund for Peace track the countries on the edge of collapse.
The Failed States Index Rankings Foreign Policy

Read about Africa and China: Movers and Shakers that says it's surprising whit China's slide in the index. With its economy booming, few analysts would classify China as a vulnerable state, and yet its index score dropped 10 points from last year. Why? China witnessed more than 87,000 peasant strikes and protests over land seizures last year, as well as mounting corruption and unemployment. China's cities have mushroomed in size, and those left behind have suffered as government services dry up and hungry developers grab land. Party officials must find new ways to mollify the masses while keeping the country's economic engine in high gear.