A Fragile State of Affairs

The United States is widely considered to be one of the most powerful countries in the world. The Fragile States Index (FSI), published by the Fund for Peace (FFP), measures countries on 12 different metrics to determine the likelihood that the state will collapse. One would expect the US to be one of the least fragile states in the world, yet it does not even make the top 20. The US ranks 41st on the FSI in between Poland and Barbados. Things look even worse when looking at individual metrics. In the category of "Group Grievance," which measures the divisions between societal groups, the US ranks 103rd. Through my research I attempt to explain why the US struggles where most other highly-developed, democratic countries succeed. I do this through analysis of data collected by the FFP and other CSOs, studying relevant scholarly research, and reading articles in the media. In doing so, I linked many challenges faced by the US, including gun violence, racial discrimination, healthcare access, and political polarization to various metrics on the FSI. These challenges and others each contribute to the US's score. In future research I hope to examine other countries that succeed on the FSI, to determine if there are solutions that may be implemented for the problems faced by the United States.