[kictanet] Failed States Index 2012 - Kenya #16, Somalia #1, Libya #50 (???),

Thu Jun 21 18:37:49 EAT 2012

Andrea

I beg to disagree. They may not necessarily look at Foreign Policy Magazine Rankings but you can't deny the fact that biased reporting and rankings like this do have a certain influence on analysts. Unless you are telling me we as human beings are not influenced by a bit of 'desktop researching'? My question would be to what extent do these kind of reports influence analysts? 

Ali Hussein

+254 773/713 601113

Sent from my iPhone®

On Jun 21, 2012, at 6:28 PM, Andrea Bohnstedt <andrea.bohnstedt at ratio-magazine.com> wrote:

> No, I can assure you, sovereign risk ratings are not determined by Foreign Policy magazine rankings. I've done a few in my past life at GI and they were usually *far* more tedious than skipping through shallow-ish Foreign Policy mag articles, and involved snooze-making amounts of balance of payment data and stuff. 
> 
> I also think the ranking is off. But as a country risk analyst, I suspect the FP ranking doesn't matter much anyway. Anyone who's serious about an investment will not rely on this as a yard stick, anyone who's not serious isn't, ummm, serious anyway. 
> 
> Have a lovely Thursday evening, everyone! 
> 
> Andrea 
> 
> 
> On 21 June 2012 17:52, Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke> wrote:
> Now we are being punished for our hospitality? Surely...
> 
> Having said that me thinks we shouldn't expend our energies on something so obviously biased. Thing is though is that we are caught between a rock and hard place as these rankings sometimes determine our financial rankings in matters of sovereign debt etc. unfortunately it's still true that who pays the piper calls the tune!
> 
> Ali Hussein
> 
> +254 773/713 601113
> 
> Sent from my iPhone®
> 
> On Jun 21, 2012, at 2:43 PM, Adam Peake <ajp at glocom.ac.jp> wrote:
> 
> > Short explanation of Kenya's position according to Foreign Policy:
> > <http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/06/18/postcards_from_hell_2012?page=0,16>
> >
> > A problem Kenya carries that many other countries do not are the
> > refugee camps along the northern borders, and then there's the
> > problems of unstable neighbours. But such a ranking, without
> > explanation is ridiculous.
> >
> > Adam
> >
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Jun 21, 2012 at 8:19 PM, Francis Hook <francis.hook at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> Interestingly Ethiopia is ranked 16th (somehow its missing on the
> >> wikipedia link but is on the other link) - one better than Kenya.
> >>
> >> Recently they banned VoiP and attached a prison sentence to anyone
> >> caught using a VoIP app.   There IT indicators are among the lowest in
> >> Africa ergo access to information , implicit freedom to
> >> "associate/assemble" electronically, ICT for development,  share
> >> ideas, ability to politick online, etc are severely constrained - at
> >> least in so far as social and political environments go.   Anyone who
> >> has tried to open shop in Ethiopia will tell you its not plain
> >> sailing.  Dissent is not allowed. etc etc.
> >>
> >> And they are one better than Kenya?
> >>
> >>
> >> On 21 June 2012 14:03, Francis Hook <francis.hook at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>> Thanks Kivuva,
> >>> On that note about NGOs (and perception), its sad to note that these
> >>> have increasingly become a form of creating self-employment - both by
> >>> foreigners and Kenyans alike.   Pick a cause, shed light on how bad
> >>> things are (even if they are not really that bad) and start passing
> >>> around the cup.
> >>>
> >>> I recall there was a time the govt sought to regulate (audit?) NGOs
> >>> and their activities - (and avoid duplicated efforts, wastage of
> >>> resources, etc). I think at the time were some rumblings about why the
> >>> govt should do this - if I am not mistaken it was mainly because
> >>> certain NGOs "addressing" democracy, civic education, human rights,
> >>> etc were drawing fire (or the govt's wrath) for whatever reasons and I
> >>> think part of the political class that that time, who perhaps had
> >>> vested interests, supported such NGOs activities and the whole move
> >>> amounted to nought.
> >>>
> >>> I'd like to think that since 2003 the democracy has grown, healthcare
> >>> more widely available, women's/Children's/human rights are better,
> >>> malaria/AIDs on the decline, agricultural practices better, etc.   Of
> >>> course I do not have a yardstick but just by living in our society I
> >>> have seen changes. Most certainly things are better than 10 years ago.
> >>> Thus such NGOs should have whittled down to a handful and perceptions
> >>> of Kenya should be different already. Ironically this ranking must
> >>> mean the NGOs work has amounted to nothing :-)
> >>>
> >>> Having said that I admit there are indeed NGOs doing sterling jobs in
> >>> Kenya and we need to support them.  But for the most part, and I make
> >>> no apology about this, many of them are simply busy bodies that muddy
> >>> the waters, distort the facts (or focus on the negative ones), stir
> >>> controversy (in NGO-ese: "foster open dialogue") etc and strive to
> >>> remain relevant in order to secure funding.  In so doing they must
> >>> continue to paint a negative picture of Kenya.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On 21 June 2012 13:16, Kivuva <Kivuva at transworldafrica.com> wrote:
> >>>> Francis,
> >>>>
> >>>> Thank you for bringing this up. I think the ratings are more to do with
> >>>> perception than reality. Most of the negative that make us rank so poorly is
> >>>> our own creation. What about thousands of NGOs taking pictures of slums,
> >>>> drought and starving children then run to western donors begging for cash to
> >>>> "HELP" the poor they "REPRESENT"! This has ruined the developing world's
> >>>> image beyond measure. Our own PRESS is also a major problem. I don't see
> >>>> western country publish widely sensationalizing  their homeless, street
> >>>> gangs, mafia, and grand grand corruption, as we do ours.
> >>>>
> >>>> In recent times, I have seen our leaders, including PS Ndemo insist on
> >>>> positive reporting from our media. That is the direction we should seek. If
> >>>> we instill cockiness in the direction of  narcissism, then the west will
> >>>> stop taking us for granted.
> >>>>
> >>>> Self Love
> >>>>
> >>>> On 21 June 2012 10:47, Francis Hook <francis.hook at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Apologies this is not mainstream ICT but at the periphery some ICT
> >>>>> aspects need to be considered as well...(open access to information,
> >>>>> ICT enabling democracy/choice/transparency, ICT in corruption, etc) .
> >>>>>
> >>>>> This index is by the US group Fund for Peace.   I wonder what metrics
> >>>>> they are using or how they are weighting the values of the 13 indices
> >>>>> they use.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Kenya is ranked 16th...that's just 15 steps away from Somalia (???),
> >>>>> 14 from DRC and shares the "teens" positions with Pakistan, Nigeria,
> >>>>> Niger among others. The lower the  score, the more "failed" a state
> >>>>> is.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Anyway....the links:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> 1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Failed_States_Index
> >>>>> (updated with 2012 Index)
> >>>>>
> >>>>> 2 - http://www.foreignpolicy.com/failed_states_index_2012_interactive
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Personally I don't think Kenya should rate that poorly out of a 177 or
> >>>>> so countries...I suspect some of the 13 indices are weighted more
> >>>>> heavy than others (corruption, criminality, political situation etc) -
> >>>>> and if such were removed from the index, just for the sake of seeing
> >>>>> how it shifts the rankings, I'd like to think some EU countries would
> >>>>> be in the top 50 at least....social unrest, steep economic decline,
> >>>>> slum creation (US - housing/mortgage crisis has seen more people
> >>>>> living in the streets in the last couple of years than in the last
> >>>>> half a century), Wall Street demos, etc, ...."Suspension or arbitrary
> >>>>> application of law" (Guantano Bay still open for business, The
> >>>>> Patriots Act).
> >>>>>
> >>>>> And "Intervention of external political agents" - I think in Africa's
> >>>>> case these "political agents" are usually from (or supported/fronted)
> >>>>> by some developing countries that would want to nurture certain
> >>>>> regimes in order to reap some economic gain...but that's an argument
> >>>>> for another day.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I'm also surprised the use of the adjective "primitive" by Korean
> >>>>> Airlines, to describe Kenyans, elicited more reactions than this lowly
> >>>>> ranking...should we get all hot and bothered about what is likely an
> >>>>> issue of translation or summon our national pride and repudiate this
> >>>>> "failed" states index?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Rgds
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> --
> >>>>> Francis Hook
> >>>>> +254 733 504561
> >>>>>
> >>>>> _______________________________________________
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> >>>>>
> >>>>>
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> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> --
> >>>> ______________________
> >>>> Mwendwa Kivuva
> >>>> For
> >>>> Business Development
> >>>> Transworld Computer Channels
> >>>> Cel: 0722402248
> >>>> twitter.com/lordmwesh
> >>>> www.transworldAfrica.com  | Fluent in computing
> >>>> kenya.or.ke | The Kenya we know
> >>>>
> >>>>
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> >>>>
> >>>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for
> >>>> people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> >>>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> >>>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
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> >>>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
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> >>>> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> Francis Hook
> >>> +254 733 504561
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Francis Hook
> >> +254 733 504561
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >>
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> >>
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> >
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> >
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> 
> 
> -- 
> Andrea Bohnstedt
> Publisher
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