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Where in the world is peace? 2015 Global Peace Index results are here

The Global Peace Index has just released results for 2015. Four countries made the most improvement.

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Institute for Economics & Peace
In this screen capture from the Institute for Economics & Peace annual Global Peace Index, countries are color-coded by level of peace.

The released its annual Global Peace Index (GPI) this week, ranking countries based on 23 qualitative and quantitative factors, in order to determine the most and least-peaceful nations in the world. This year, Guinea-Bissau, Cote d鈥橧voire, Egypt, and Benin were the four countries that made the most improvement, while Iceland was ranked the most peaceful nation in the world.

The study found , as indicated by the measures used in the study. , with Greece improving the most in the region. The study cited a reduction in violent crime and political terror as the two primary reasons for the .

The institute focuses on measuring peace holistically, believing that 鈥淧eace is more than just the absence of conflict,鈥 . This edition of the study is the ninth, with the first report dating to 2007.聽The three broad categories used to calculate the GPI are 1) the level of safety and security in a society, 2) the number of international and domestic conflicts, and 3) the degree of militarization.

Below is a closer look at the four most improved countries:

Guinea-Bissau

The report found that the 鈥渉olding of credible and predominantly peaceful elections in 2014 has reduced tensions and improved security; that the army accepted the result was also a sign of greater stability.鈥 In April 2013, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara issued : "Antonio Indjai [military commander at the time] conspired to use his power and authority to be a middleman and his country to be a way-station for people he believed to be terrorists and narco-traffickers so they could store, and ultimately transport narcotics to the United States, and procure surface-to-air missiles and other military-grade hardware to be used against United States troops.鈥

Under foreign pressure, new president began to reform the military, beginning by . However, Guinea-Bissau still ranks in the bottom half of the index, coming in at countries ranked, with its drug trade cited as a continued problem.

Cote d鈥橧voire

The nation still ranks in the bottom half of countries ranked, at #105. The report largely cites an increase in social stability and easing of domestic conflicts for the rise in rank. In 2013, reported that 鈥淐么te d鈥橧voire has yet to reckon with the , in which 3,000 people were killed and over 150 women were raped,鈥 prompting the International Criminal Court to open an investigation into the post-election violence. 聽

Egypt

Former Army Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, backed by the Egyptian military, was elected president in May 2014. The report found the election brought 鈥済reater political stability and a decrease in the intensity of internal conflict for now.鈥 Supporters of Mr. Sisi highlighted reasonably high , while opponents critiqued the heavy-handed methods used to get votes. During the election season, The 海角大神 Science聽Monitor reported an extension of the voting period, fine threats for non-voters, and found 鈥渢he vote revealed Sisi鈥檚 support to be smaller than many thought.鈥 At the time of the election, the saying, 鈥淓gypt鈥檚 repressive political environment made a genuinely democratic presidential election impossible.鈥

Benin

An improvement in the 鈥渋ntensity of internal conflict鈥 led to the 29-place improvement for Benin. The African Union authorized 7,500 troops from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Benin to combat Boko Haram in February 2015. Benin also announced and held elections for their , which the report cited as playing a substantial role in this change in rank, putting the country 77th overall.

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