In their “World in 2010″ annual almanac of predictions, the Economist looks at whether this will be a year of social unrest, and included is the map below as a helpful guide to countries at the greatest risk:

I highly recommend you purchase this almanac for a good overview of where the world is more-or-less heading.  In the accompanying article on this particular topic, Laza Kekic of the Economist Intelligence Unit writes the following:

[A] congruence of calamities could prove politically tempestuous: a sharp rise in unemployment, increased poverty and inequality, weakened middle classes and high food prices in many countries. Austerity is also on the agenda in 2010 following the extreme fiscal relaxation of 2009.

Historically, political reactions to economic distress have tended to come with a lag. The same is true of labour-market developments: even once the recession ends, unemployment continues to rise. According to Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) estimates, in 2010 there will be 60m more unemployed worldwide than in 2008. The International Labour Organisation reckons some 200m workers are at risk of joining the ranks of people living on less than $2 a day.

Declines in incomes are not always followed by political instability. Vulnerability to unrest depends on a host of factors. These include the degree of income inequality, the state of governance, levels of social provision, ethnic tensions, public trust in institutions, the history of unrest and the type of political system (“intermediate” regimes that are neither consolidated democracies nor autocracies seem the most vulnerable).

Something to watch.

Brazil’s position in the low combustibility category mirrors the magazine’s recent profile of the continuing boom of the country:

Latin America’s largest economy is enjoying its best moment for a long time. One of the last countries to enter the global downturn started by the financial sector in 2007, Brazil was also one of the first to come out of it. For the first time in its history it has found a combination of economic growth, low inflation and full democracy—and the good fortune looks set to continue.

The story reminded me of a 2007 article I read in the New York Times about Brazilian immigrants to the U.S. who were emigrating back to Brazil:

That decision — to give up on life in the United States — is being made by more and more Brazilians across the country, according to consular officials, travel agencies swamped by one-way ticket bookings, and community leaders in the neighborhoods that Brazilian immigrants have transformed, from Boston to Pompano Beach, Fla.

No one can say how many are leaving. But in the last half year, the reverse migration has become unmistakable among Brazilians in the United States, a population estimated at 1.1 million by Brazil’s government — four to five times the official census figures.

To explain an often wrenching decision to pull up stakes, homeward-bound Brazilians point to a rising fear of deportation and a slumping American economy. Many cite the expiration of driver’s licenses that can no longer be renewed under tougher rules, coupled with the steep drop in the value of the dollar against the currency of Brazil, where the economy has improved.

Brazil’s ascendency is nothing but good news for the Western Hemisphere.

The Reputation Institute did a survey of countries around the world about their self image, and below are the findings. The U.S. is likely not so high due to the recession, the George W. Bush Presidency, and the current political infighting that has stopped the country from fixing its problems.  From The Australian:

The magazine does not reveal the sample size, survey date or methodology but concludes that “Australians are almost as exuberant about their country as they are about sport”.

Closely following Australia in descending order are Canada, Finland, Austria, Singapore and India while the US, usually seen as a global benchmark for national pride, rates 11th with a score in the high 70s.

What is clear from the survey, as the magazine indicates, is that the results may be affected by the relative scale of economic recession. Australia is regarded by most experts as the country least affected by recession.

That said, Spain rates two places above the US, despite having an unemployment rate approaching 15 per cent.

Wikipedia, what most people know as Wikipedia, in reality is a universe of websites that span the globe in almost every language. It includes a university, a news service, dictionary, creative commons media repository, et al.

The one website that links all of these together is Meta-Wiki. It is where issues common amongst  the projects are discussed, chapters are formed and guidelines are suggested. Not many people go to Meta, at least compared to Wikipedia or Commons, because it is largely organizational and informational.

Perhaps the most interesting guideline on Meta is the “List of articles every Wikipedia should have” – all 253 language editions.

The list covers everything—actors, ancient history, society, law, animals, chemistry, physics, technology, food, math, et al.—that a basic Wikipedia should have. I looked at countries. In December 2005 there was a glaring omission – there was no list for priority country articles.  Understandably, nobody wanted to offend:

Screenshot:  In December 2005, unlike every other topic, the list recommended “all countries”

But on April 13, 2006, editor Silence proposed this change:

One of the most glaring deficiencies for this page is its complete lack of any recommendations on which countries to have articles for. All it has is a lame cop-out, making the unreasonable and completely unhelpful demand that every Wikipedia have an article on every country, with absolutely no differentiation or prioritization between whether we need an article on India or on Swaziland first. This is both absurd and highly impractical. -Silence 07:02, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Silence proposed a working draft list, and the criteria for selection focused on quantitative analysis such as “largest” “greatest” and “highest” population, geography, development index or other measurement.  By December 2006 the editors of Wikipedia had determined that out of 194 countries, there were 39 “more high-priority countries”.    At the end of 2007 the list had increased to 49 countries.  So now, as of December 2008, here are…

Wikipedia’s 48 More High-Priority Countries
(the ones that, at the minimum, every Wikipedia in any language should have articles about)

Sub-Saharan Africa

Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ethiopia
Nigeria
South Africa
Sudan
Tanzania

Asia

Bangladesh
People’s Republic of China
India
Japan
Pakistan
South Korea
Thailand
Vietnam

Europe

Austria
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands
Poland
Russia
Portugal
Spain
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Vatican City

North Africa/Middle East

Afghanistan
Algeria
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates

North America

Canada
Mexico
United States

South America/
Central America/Carribean

Argentina
Brazil
Venezuela
Cuba

Oceania

Australia
Indonesia
New Zealand