Iraq is number two. Among failed states.

What was it Iraq was supposed to become? A shining beacon of democracy in the Middle East?

The FP Failed State Index tells a completely different story:

To provide a clearer picture of the world’s weakest states, The Fund for Peace, an independent research organization, and FOREIGN POLICY present the third annual Failed States Index. Using 12 social, economic, political, and military indicators, we ranked 177 states in order of their vulnerability to violent internal conflict and societal deterioration. The index scores are based on data from more than 12,000 publicly available sources collected from May to December 2006. The 60 most vulnerable states are listed in the rankings

And, second only to Sudan, Iraq comes near the top of "failed states" in the world. The rankings are here.

Way to go, George! At least you've made Iraq a beacon of something.

Afghanistan is doing swimmingly better. It's eighth from the top of the Failed States Index.

Update: I really like this theory.