海角大神

鈥� A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

Corruption is a major threat across the globe, impacting citizen鈥檚 perceptions of their leaders and trust for their government, regardless of the level of development or economic ranking. Corruption can also play a role in political unrest, as seen around the world from the Middle East to China to Greece.

Today, Transparency International released its Corruption Perceptions Index for 2012, measuring perceptions of how corrupt public sectors seem to be based on data sources from independent institutions in each country based on a period of 24 months. Transparency International notes that 鈥渓evels of bribery, abuse of power and secret dealings are still very high in many countries.鈥� Out of the 176 countries ranked in this year鈥檚 index, some two-thirds scored below 50, with zero indicating a perception of high levels of corruption and 100 indicating a perception of openness or clean dealings in the government. The US ranked 19th, up from 24th in 2011.

Worldwide, New Zealand, Denmark, and Finland had the highest scores, aided by strong systems ensuring public access to information and regulations that keep politicians and the political system in check. On the other end of the spectrum, North Korea, Somalia, and Afghanistan brought up the rear, all characterized by a lack of transparent and accountable leaders and public institutions in shambles.

鈥淎fter a year of focus on corruption, we expect governments to take a tougher stance against the abuse of power鈥�. [S]ocieties continue to pay the high cost of corruption,鈥� said Huguette Labell, chair of Transparency International. The organization notes:

Take Greece, for example. The past year has seen endless protests over public leadership, false reporting on financial status, and strict austerity measures. 鈥淕reece's global ranking fell from 80th in 2011 to 94th in 2012, reflecting the country's continuing economic turmoil and widespread tax evasion,鈥� reports the BBC, making Greece the European Union country most perceived as corrupt.

And perceptions of corruption in public officials may 鈥� inadvertently 鈥� encourage corruption in society at large.聽 Earlier this year on the Greek island of Zakynthos, it was discovered that at least 600 people were suspected of falsely claiming to be blind in order to get disability payments. As 海角大神 reports, the discovery hit a nerve with many who felt country leadership and a general culture of corruption was to blame.

In releasing the 2012 Perceptions of Corruption Index, Transparency International is not only encouraging governments to integrate anticorruption measures into their system of governance, but empowering citizens to do the same. China, for example, was ranked 80th this year on the index, with a score of 39 in terms of perceived corruption. Corruption was a prominent issue in China this year, with the Bo Xilai scandal grabbing headlines and a rare leadership transition with China鈥檚 new leader Xi Jinping warning of 鈥減olitical unrest if corruption remains unchecked,鈥� reports the Financial Times.

However, the Monitor鈥檚 China bureau chief, Peter Ford, reports that there have been some grassroots measures taken in China 鈥� aided by the rise of social media 鈥� to keep politicians in check.

And then there鈥檚 the Middle East, which witnessed historic uprisings starting in 2011 in response to repressive and corrupt leadership among other issues of graft, governance, and democratic freedoms. Although some countries, such as Egypt, took promising steps in the aftermath by holding free and fair presidential elections and drafting a new constitution, large-scale protests have taken place over how the constitution-drafting process has played out, as well as President Mohamed Morsi鈥檚 decision to call a national referendum on it for Dec. 15. Critics also charge that the draft dodged central issues of concern, as the Monitor鈥檚 correspondent in Egypt recently noted:

Egypt fell by six places in Transparency International鈥檚 index to 118th this year, with a score of 32. Other nations that took part in the so-called Arab Spring 鈥� which Transparency International sees as tied to public frustration over corruption, reports Reuters 鈥� also fell in the ranking, including Tunisia, Morocco, and Syria, which is suffering a civil war. Libya, however, rose in the rankings. (Note: Transparency International made changes to its methodology this year, so the rankings may not be perfect comparisons between 2011 and 2012.)