- History & Culture
- American Insurrection
An index measuring country stability finds the U.S. dropping
The Fragile States Index shows a worrying trend—and it hasn’t yet accounted for the events of 2020.
The insurrection at the Capitol on January 6 blindsided many in the United States and abroad. But it may not have surprised close readers of the Fragile States Index. Produced annually by the nonprofit organization Fund for Peace, the index assesses pressures on individual countries that potentially undermine their stability.
Over the past decade, many countries have become less fragile. The U.S., on the other hand, has become less stable. Indeed, the country is among 20 states that have seen the highest percent increase in relative fragility over the past 10 years—a list that includes Syria, Venezuela, and the United Kingdom.
Though the U.S. is stable according to some of the index’s economic, political, and social measurements, it has seen a stark
