WASHINGTON: Iraq has emerged as a more stable country than Afghanistan, thanks to lower violence, the presence of a large US-led international force and high oil prices, according to a report published today.

The report by the British-based Janes Information Group ranked Afghanistan as the world's third most-unstable country after the Gaza Strip and West Bank, and Somalia. By contrast, Iraq was at No. 22 where it appeared among several African countries including Niger, Nigeria, Burundi and Equatorial Guinea.

According to Christian Le Miere, managing editor of Janes Country Risk, which complied the ratings,Iraq has benefiting from several stabilizing factors including the world's highest number of international troops per capita, an economy buoyed by high oil prices and a sharp decline in violence.

"Compare that to Afghanistan, where the government has less control over its territory, the economy is made up by some estimates about 50 percent from opium and has very little to draw on for resources. Afghan violence has grown steadily over the last two years to the highest level since US-led forces ousted Taliban rule after the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001, despite the presence of 43,000 NATO-led troops," he said.

The report, titled Janes Country Risk Ratings, was the first of its kind for the publisher and contained no comparison figures. But a June 2007 ranking of failed states by Foreign Policy magazine called Iraq the world's second-most unstable country with Afghanistan at No. 8.

Meanwhile, the United States failed to rank among the top tier of he world's most stable countries in the ratings, which measured 235 countries, territories and entities according to two-dozen stability factors. Vatican City was ranked most stable, followed by Sweden, Luxembourg and Monaco.

Source : UNI