Bahrain falls 51 places in Global Peace Index 2011 on unrest<\/p>\n
Bahrain\u2019s score deteriorated by the second-largest margin after Libya
\n26 May 2011<\/p>\n
Bahrain\u2019s global peace ranking has dropped 51 places to 123 out of 153 countries according to a report by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).<\/p>\n
The Gulf state, which faced a wave of Shi\u2019ite-led protests in February and March that left at least 29 people dead, was the second biggest fall after Libya which declined 83 places to 143 position.<\/p>\n
The uprising in Bahrain and the dramatic escalation of violence by the army against protesters in mid-February is reflected in sharp deteriorations in most of the country\u2019s measures of societal safety and security.<\/p>\n
Bahrain Detailed Report
\nBahrain Rank: 123
\nChange in score 2010-11: 0.429
\nChange in rank 2010-11: -47<\/p>\n
Protests in Bahrain calling for economic and political reform began on February 14th 2011 and gathered momentum after two protesters were shot in the first two days. In an extraordinary escalation, on February 18th, the army was deployed on the streets of central Manama, the capital. Troops fired live ammunition at protesters who gathered there – a sudden escalation of violence in a small, peaceful country with a low crime rate that was reflected in its position around the midpoint of the GPI in previous years. The dramatic events of February and March, inspired by the unprecedented \u201cArab Spring\u201d, led to sharp increases to most of the qualitative indicators of conflict and safety and security in society, precipitating a slide in the rankings to 123rd position. The drop would have been even more pronounced but for improvements to three of Bahrain\u2019s GPI indicators from last year: a reduction in military capability and sophistication, a fall number of armed service personnel and a slight improvement in the Political Terror Scale tally (to 1.5). …more<\/a><\/p>\n