Interestingly, this person also seems to blame the British for all perils of the world. For example, he started by commenting about how Khomeni's father was a Brit; and hence all the misery that ensued! The likes of him visiting my blog are common; and luckily they get bored after a couple of reject-ions. But this person left me a link to this map to illustrate how UAE's corruption index ranking (30) was lower than Israel (32) and Italy (68) and Iran (168).
Because of this person's I-am-a-victim-of-British-evil mentality; I started looking at the ranking of some British Colonies:
New Zealand 1
Singapore 3
Australia 8
Canada 8
Hong Kong 12
Ireland 14
UK 17
USA 18
Cyprus 27
It's an interesting map! But I hope the Anonymous commenter will take home the message that It is not the Brits who are responsible for all evil in the world. The sooner the Middle Easterners STOP their victim mentality, the sooner peace and prosperity will come to them.
23 comments:
naj, i just did a post about this! did you compare the 2008 numbers with 2009? iran took a noooooose-dive. tanked 44 spots.
shocking, i know, but please try to contain yourself.
woops--meant 24
Its not fascism as much as it is about theocracy. In all religions getting rid of the priesthood from politics was a horrific struggle & continues to be so.
Education, mass media & travel have loosened the priest's choke hold on power. The west unwittingly gives the priests a ruse to rouse nationalist passions behind which to hide their agenda. That vicious cycle needs to be broken.
All the best.
Yes it's true, we Brits do secretly still run everything and cause all the problems!
Meanwhile, a note of caution about the corruption index it is put together by and for business and does not represent corruption so much as how accommodating to capital a nation is, ie the UK is regarded as a tax haven and allows it's large corporations to get away with bribery and tax avoidance (BAE, NI, etc), it rates ok on the index, countries that effectively tax and enforce environmental & social laws on corporations can be rated lower as a result. I'd say there's some rough correlation but there is also a slight case of some corruption being regarded as less corrupt than others based on ideology and funding.
RickB well said, hope that the owner of this blog understand..... not just jumps like kangaroo about the order of countries which none of them even 1st country have low level of corruptions.
It's an index whatever what your thoughts about some countries in the index and its order, you like that country (nation?) or not that different matter.
Although Iran has been seemingly isolated from much of the outside world since the Islamic Revolution of 1978-1979, its borders have by no means been closed. To the contrary, the country has produced and hosted abundant flows of emigration and immigration, a steady coming and going mainly driven by key political events.
However, what makes Iran's migration story unique is that it has experienced simultaneous emigration and immigration to extreme degrees. In its recent history, Iran has laid claim to producting the highest rates of brain drain in the world while simultaneously topping the list as the world's largest refugee haven, mainly for Afghans and Iraqis. Iran also exhibits one of the steepest urban growth rates in the world, largely driven by internal migration from rural areas.
Iran: A Vast Diaspora Abroad and Millions of Refugees at Home
Hi Rick, long time no see :)
Well, I am not so sure about "how good to capital" being a good predictors. If that were the case, then you should expect some of the scandinavian countries rank lower than GB!
And if you were right, then Canada should have also ranked lower than the US, for example!
I don't know, you live in the UK, but in the places that I live, I can say for sure that *my* perception of corruption has little to do with tax-friendliness.
Anonymous
Haven't they thought you to be polite when you go visiting people's places; to not jump off topic and not to insult the house owner?
Speaking of Iran's paradoxical immigration and emigration; I wonder if you are aware of the conditions under which the refugees to Iran live? If not, go get educated about it.
People like to beat down Western countries for glass ceilings and racism. If you are an Iranian, you ought to go and hide yourself under a blanket and sweat to shame. If one day Iran could lure its own people back to Iran; it can THEN provide the refugees and immigrants proper and decent human conditions. Of course, living in Iran for many Afghans is a heaven. But, Iran is somewhat careful to keep the "foreigners" excluded; not to suffer the faith of Pakistan--being over taken by rural, fundamentalist, and ill educated immigrants overtaking the country. Judging from Ahmadinejad's policies, I fear this will change. Expect that sophistication be completely out-rooted from Iran!
I'd compare it with this financial secrecy ratings (ie they launder wealth) Switzerland & Singapore are in both top tens which shouldn't be if TI ratings are reliable (also see Hong Kong & Luxemburg). So yeah for many countries in the TI list it can be accurate but when it comes to countries whose corruption is part of the global laundering of revenue that is hidden from tax the less attention to such suggests an ideological bias in TI. So that's why I say approach with caution, it is not a reliable measure but it does catch a flavour of what goes on, but misses others. I suppose really it is offended by a certain style of corruption while others it finds less offensive, some even charming. (Ooh it's those dastardly British again!)
Rick;
as a general rule; none of these surveys can be taken as biblical truth (which is the one and only truth ,of course ;) )
So please consider the context in which this was posted; and in response to whose comments on my blog.
As for corruption being part of the national economy of countries such as UAE, Switzerland and luxembourg: SURE! But at least the wealth of corruption is distributed in such a manner to keep enough people evenly-distributed FED; and hence reduce disgruntled attitude such as the one observed in my country--which has given rise to 168th ranking on this list!
Rick
It's your accents I find irresistible! :))
Naj,
proper and decent human
You defending Iran’s human rights status. You just in last post talking about First lady speech and Iran human rights!!!.....Go do your homework to find from those “Britt’s…Evil” (your words not mine) human rights agencies were Iran stand.
Don’t jump again changing, the talking about Iranians who leaving their country in waves from 1979 till now. We are not discussing the refuges inside Iran that totally different issue, bear in mind UN have its own programs to help and pay for the governments who hosting refuges from their neighbouring countries because of war and crises.
Naj even Iranians in US or in any “Brits…Evil” colonies (your words not mine) countries governments got paid from UN for hosting asylum seekers and refugees from countries like Iran.
Naj with your hatful heart can’t stands to hear their names, did you asked yourself how many Iranians working in the Gulf countries,.
Qatar very small sheikhdom just 500,000 Iranians there……. if Iran good and take "proper and decent human" in accounts these numbers will be very very different.
Good luck
Anonymous, I think you are talking in a resonance box.
Perhaps my post is not clear enough for your understanding.
Yes, absolutely correct: If IRan had PROPER HR, and had PROPER and non-corrupt economic practices, no Iranian would be working in Quatar; brain drained or exiled.
Yes Iran received assistance from UN for the refugees. Iran is also trying to get rid of them as fast as it can. It is by no means a migration friendly country.
Transparency International commissioned Johann Graf Lambsdorff of the University of Passau to produce the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).[2] The CPI 2005 draws on "16 different polls and surveys from 10 independent institutions… The institutions who provided data for the CPI 2005 are: Columbia University, Economist Intelligence Unit, Freedom House, Information International, International Institute for Management Development, Merchant International Group, Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, World Economic Forum and World Markets Research Centre. Early CPIs used public opinion surveys, but now only "experts" are used. TI requires at least three sources to be available in order to rank a country in the CPI.[2]
The Corruption Perceptions Index has drawn increasing criticism in the decade since its launch, leading to calls for the index to be abandoned. [6][7][8] This criticism has been directed at the quality of the Index itself, and the lack of actionable insights created from a simple country ranking. [9][10] Because corruption is willfully hidden, it is impossible to measure directly; instead proxies for corruption are used. The CPI uses an eclectic mix of third-party surveys to sample public perceptions of corruption through a variety of questions, ranging from "Do you trust the government?" to "Is corruption a big problem in your country?"
Well I can answer those questions in Iran:
I have no trust in the governme
nt and I find the level of corruption high.
For me, "perception indices' are of more social relevance as even the term implies that the index is subjective. It's the subjectivity of it that reflects the mood of a nation vis a vis it's government; or even as Rick said the chances of a nation for international development.
Re "eternal victims of a British plot" - allow me to add myself to the category! Grrrrrr just heard the Brits - thwarted in their brass-faced attempt to plop their bloodstained NeoCon poodle Blair into the EU presidency - have screwed the previous frontrunner (Italian former PM Massimo D'Alema) out of the crucial EU Foreign Policy rep. job - via armtwisting and blackmail-bloc formation with the Poles and Baltic states. If D'Alema had been given the position the EU could at long-last have started playing an extremely ME-savvy, NeoCon-resistant role in the foreign policy sphere - but no! So if not an Italian, a Spaniard, a Frenchman, a Greek - so as to preserve at least a semblance of EU regional-balance?? No, No Way... the Evil Brits virtual-vetoed! So now we'll have 2 years of seeing this British nonentity stringpulled by Whitehall to drag all Europe along in the US-UK/Israel's hardline wake - on Iran and on the Israel/Palestine conflict too - AND also systematically hotting up idiotic neocoldwar tensions with Russia... to the exclusive benefit of the US/UK weaponry industry and the detriment of everything and everyone else!!! GRRRRRRR!
Apologies for venting but I'm both furiously disappointed and extremely apprehensive at this news - not out of mere frustrated Italian-nationalism, Naj, but IMHO with very good reason... :-(
Oh vent off my friend; all you wish :)
"Evil" entities have power over one as long as one is willing to play their game (e.g. by trying to compete with them, by trying to appose them, by trying to oust them.)
I think we need to move away from "old" institutions and start thinking new; anew, and let the old submit itself to history, to obsoleteness. The trunks of the british tree will be gnawed sooner or later by the mites ... do we want to spend our life being an ax, or being a new tree a little farther in the sun, away from the shadow of the big forest?
I'd been hoping - like most Europeans - the EU-as-collective-entity could finally start acting like a "new tree a little farther in the sun" on the world stage - but no, the Dark Forest has lassooed us yet-again with its slithery vines ... :-( so booohooo and grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Hmm that's optimism!
EU is only the fraternity that is opening doors of the old-school to some rookies; while making some form of alliance between old gangs of the school.
which scandinavians are member of EU?
Sweden and Denmark are members - Iceland too is on its way to joining, Norway's chosen to stay not-quite-in-not-quite-out for the time being.
Of course, their reluctance (of Sweden and Denmark too) is to be seriously taken into consideration.
Sweden and Denmark's reluctance to what? Surely not EU membership - as Denmark's been a member of the EU since 1973, Sweden since 1995 and Sweden currently holds the EU presidency - NOT classified as a "eurosceptic" unlike the recent Czech entity. Or do you mean against D'Alema's candidacy for FP chief? Far as I know the opposition wasn't from the scandinavians it was from UK plus Poland+Czechs+Baltics, in the case of the Eastern European states reportedly-due to his former-communist status totally regardless of fact he'd been 3rd-way since wayway back, favoured the Italian communist pary's break with Moscow and had helped steer the party base gently into the social-democratic fold... but they nonetheless insist on viewing him - thanks also to a paranoia-goading campaign on the part of the UK - as "former-commie = commie-forever and eternally-soft on Russia"! However, afaik the real behind-the-scenes opposition was from Israel, as it was D'Alema who'd mediated the UN resolution that stopped the Israeli onslaught on Lebanon and inserted a largeish, well-armed and above all genuinely neutral UN buffer force along its border with Lebanon instead of the Israeli-proxy force they'd been hoping for. He's a good mediator, anti-NeoCon anti-warmonger and open to hearing all parties involved in conflicts to seek balanced solutions regardless of US hysterics - which was why I had placed so much hope in his appointment. :-(
What, we Americans don't try take over and run everything? Thats hurts my feelings.
RickB said: ..corruption index it is put together by and for business...as how accommodating to capital a nation is, ie the UK is regarded as a tax haven and allows it's large corporations to get away with bribery and tax avoidance
We here in the US just cleaned out the treasury to save those corporate dirt bags after they wrecked the national economy. I'd have to say the United States is pretty accommodating.
So much that I hear jokes about China coming to repossess the country for failing to pay on our credit cards.
Parvati,
i was talking about the mastricht treaty not rome treaty--to which Denmark joined after 16 year of establishment. Also i would not consider a 52% favorable vote to join EU a landslide enthusiasm of the swedes to embark on the EU wagon. Norwegians have always been and still are uneasy about it. If the EU (or the E economic community) had originated from the scandinavian countries; I would have called it a new branch. Those countries (and holland to some extent) are culturally very different from their warm-blooded neighbors to the south.
UK manipulates? sure it does :) But they do it with their magic charm.
Beach Bum,
:))
Naj: "If the EU (or the E economic community) had originated from the scandinavian countries; I would have called it a new branch. Those countries (and holland to some extent) are culturally very different from their warm-blooded neighbors to the south."
True... but it got me wondering what that had to do with differences in attitudes to EU membership - first reaction was that it could be due to some kind of racism/quasi-racism, fear of being merged/intermingled with "darker"="inferior" southerners? But unlikely to be the only factor, historical/geographic factors probably also involved - so I searched around, finally came up with this: as I read it I felt something go "click" in my mind.
Qualitative survey - Perceptions of the European Union
"What makes Europe Europe is mainly its history and culture. When perceptions of its identity and the feeling of being European are analysed, we can see that the main dividing line runs between a very big South and a very small North.
• This “South” includes the vast majority of European countries, both Member States and candidate countries, geographically in the south, centre or east of the continent, whose citizens, who are strongly aware of the existence of cultural ties, see in Europe first and foremost a historical entity, a land – even the land – of culture, a place of constant intermingling and exchange over the centuries between diverse peoples but with common roots.
These relationships have loosened in certain periods of history and degenerated into conflict, but their existence down the ages is undeniable.
(...)
There is a more or less spontaneous empathy for other Europeans – even if people are not very familiar with them, or attribute certain flaws or different ways of seeing things to them.
The force of cultural ties is felt with particular intensity in the Latin countries, Belgium and Luxembourg, and in most Central European countries. (...)
• Conversely, in a few countries located in the northern part of Europe, the concepts of roots and cultural proximity are given much less prominence, and the sense of common historical and cultural ties is much less present in people’s minds.
Of the Member States, this applies to the UK – many of whose citizens, when asked, refused point-blank to consider themselves as Europeans, the Netherlands, Denmark and (less strongly) Sweden: in these countries there is a deep-seated conviction of the superiority or specificity of the model of society that the country has developed with its own values, and a weak propensity to share with others, who tend to be seen as a threat.
These countries have only weak empathy with other Europeans, particularly with those from the South, whose mentality is seen as very different, and who are even quite overtly despised (for not being responsible, hard-working, orderly, etc.
The countries in the first group, which make up by far the majority, are roughly those which, over the course of their history, have belonged to larger entities in which they mixed with others: the Roman or Byzantine Empires, the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg Empire, and even the Napoleonic Empire by virtue of the influence it has had on legal systems in spite of being short-lived and autocratic.
Furthermore, the countries in the second group are characterised by the predominance of strict Protestant values, whereas the others are imbued, at least in part, with a culture rooted in Catholicism (or Orthodoxy).
(...)
Hmmm?
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