“That’s the other side of the coin, perhaps. That we also have a responsibility to help people from the “developed” world see the real issues that the people face in these countries. Let’s reduce that sense of distance, as you say, and create a sense of outrage.”

I think we need to share images and stories that humanize people (rather than “other” them) as well as make readers aware of the realities in which those people live.

At the same time, having lived for about five years in both Kenya and Rwanda, three years in Burkina, and a year in Nigeria, and after traveling and working in 16 of the countries on that list of the 60 borderline or worse states, I think its important to recognize the frustrations experienced by people who call these places home. Chad and Haiti are among my favorite places, the people are wonderful, the food is great, and art and culture are rich. At the same time, if you really know these places, you can easily send a “Postcard from Hell” from either one of them. Close friends from both Kenya and Rwanda are very much aware of how far their governments are from providing the kind of environment they deserve and want their children to grow up in. People are honestly tired of dealing with the demeaning and impoverishing effects of lousy government, but they don’t see how to change it.

That’s the other side of the coin, perhaps. That we also have a responsibility to help people from the “developed” world see the real issues that the people face in these countries. Let’s reduce that sense of distance, as you say, and create a sense of outrage. There are plenty of people in the USA right now who have a pretty healthy sense of outrage about their own government. Perhaps they will understand places like Kenya or Rwanda even better because of it. The differences are not as great as we are led to believe by simplistic labels like “Postcard from Hell.”

An earlier comment suggested that America could fit the definition of a failed state. As time goes on, our civil liberties erode, and our government conducts itself like playground bully or a tin horn despot more and more, the definition seems to fit better all the time.

I’m sure we could come up with quite a few great photos showing the hellish side of America, too. Hell is where ever you find it, and whatever you make of it.

There is no way possible Pakistan ranks as more dangerous than, say, Somalia. Talk to people there. Stay a while. I believe it’s worlds away from Pakistan. But I also believe the FP and Economist don’t particularly care. Sad.

Great article, Heather. We should all be circulating this piece around, as much as possible!

In some college political science courses, I was surprised at some of the states that were considered “underdeveloped.” I have family ties to some the places he’d listed, I had seen and lived with the people, and honestly, their standards weren’t that much different from ours.

What shocked me the most was the sense of alienation that hit me when I saw those lists go up on the markerboard. There was definitely a little guilt when I realized how we were placing ourselves on top of the world.

Perhaps the thing we just can’t let go of is that sense of looking at the rest of the world like a human zoo, where Americans are the only normal ones. We have to realize that all of the world’s people eat, sleep, and love just like those from the more stable states. Socio-political situations, although extremely important, can never make one more or less of a human being.

Thanks for telling the “other side of the story.” I’ve also had Pakistani expats tell me similar things about my blog (http://www.desiblonde.com) as what your friend said to you on Facebook. They (Pakistani expats) told me that they really appreciate that I also try to tell good things about Pakistan. Obviously not everything is rosy (yes there ARE non-ideal situations that occur in Pakistan or things that probably won’t happen in the U.S.)…BUT there is still value to Pakistan, travelling/living there, and to the people who do live there.

Thanks again for giving people a more complete picture. Keep up the good writing and eye opening articles Heather!

–Meliha

One thing I didn’t see in the photos though was white people. Maybe in FP’s definition of hell there is no space for us? Do only African, Arab and Asian people make up the world’s hell? Seems like it according to the photo essay. No photos of sinister white men with guns. No white people torturing anyone (a la Abu Ghraib) or keeping watch over caged prisoners in Gitmo. Maybe those images don’t exist according to the Failed States Index.