Congratulations to Chad and Bangladesh!

[Filuwaúrdjan]

...and the most corrupt nations on Earth are...

[Jens]

...and the most corrupt nations on Earth are...

And Denmark finish just outside the medals! But that is without the recent scandale in the Immigration Department and some Danish involvment in Iraqi "Oil for Food" bribes

The full list as a word doc

Angola is a proud nr. 151

[WMS]

A dictatorship and a democracy. Interesting...

[angus]

A dictatorship and a democracy. Interesting...

chad and bangladesh?  more interestingly, a former english colony and a former french colony.

none of the top five were former major imperial players.  however, all of the bottom five were the objects of colonial exploitation.  not surprising.

lament the demise of the republic and the rise of empire, boys, as imperialism haunts nations forever

(at least the USSR had the decency to teach its satellite nations to read.  literacy rates in former soviet republics such as Turkmenistan top 99%)

[Platypus]

singapore less corrupt then Australia?

BULLsh**t. Sorry, but...

[opebo]

singapore less corrupt then Australia?

BULLsh**t. Sorry, but...

I think these analysts do tend to greatly underestimate corruption in Anglo-Saxon nations.

[Bono]

singapore less corrupt then Australia?

BULLsh**t. Sorry, but...

Wishful thinking?
It's funny that chile is better than Portugal, becuase it is utterly demonized by the left here.

[minionofmidas]

singapore less corrupt then Australia?

BULLsh**t. Sorry, but...

Wishful thinking?

About Singapore or about Australia?
Both perhaps?

[Angel of Death]

In related news, the U.S. drops twenty positions on the Press Freedom Index.

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ie=UTF-8&ncl=http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php%3Fid%3D153690

[WMS]

A dictatorship and a democracy. Interesting...

chad and bangladesh?  more interestingly, a former english colony and a former french colony.

none of the top five were former major imperial players.  however, all of the bottom five were the objects of colonial exploitation.  not surprising.

lament the demise of the republic and the rise of empire, boys, as imperialism haunts nations forever

(at least the USSR had the decency to teach its satellite nations to read.  literacy rates in former soviet republics such as Turkmenistan top 99%)

Interesting POV...although at some point these ex-colonies need to get it together and stop blaming the West for everything. It's not as if they were peaceful, honest societies before the imperialists came - whenever they had the power to do so, they formed empires themselves.

Russia: #126 (tied with 3 others with a 2.4)
China: #78 (tied with 4 others with a 3.2)

*snickers*

[angus]

China: #78 (tied with 4 others with a 3.2)

No doubt the Han Empire was as great as Rome, in terms of population and land area, at the height of the Roman Empire circa AD150.  As I said, no major imperial players would be expected to be in the top five.  As for former colonies "getting it together" certainly Britannia and Spain became the world's major naval powers twelve or so centuries after the Roman Imperial yoke had been removed.  Of course, both were rife with corruption in their own respective heydays as well.  Not sure where you're going with this, but historical fact suggests that "getting it together" doesn't preclude corruption.

[WMS]

China: #78 (tied with 4 others with a 3.2)

No doubt the Han Empire was as great as Rome, in terms of population and land area, at the height of the Roman Empire circa AD150.  As I said, no major imperial players would be expected to be in the top five.  As for former colonies "getting it together" certainly Britannia and Spain became the world's major naval powers twelve or so centuries after the Roman Imperial yoke had been removed.  Of course, both were rife with corruption in their own respective heydays as well.  Not sure where you're going with this, but historical fact suggests that "getting it together" doesn't preclude corruption.

Oh yes, I'm quite familiar with the Han. And with the Ch'in before them, whose Legalist Religion-Philosophy is so damn similar to Communist China's that I'm amazed at how cyclical their history can get. But I mentioned Russia and China since most of those who would take the opportunity to use the corruption list to bash the U.S. would tend NOT to mention those little facts about the U.S.' greatest rivals, and I can't be having that.

Well, Britannia and Spain kept being colonies of one group or another for centuries afterwards (Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Danes, Norwegians, and their close cousins the Normans for Angle-Land , and Visigoths, Arabs, Berbers, and French for Iberia ) but it's true that eventually they both became major naval powers, first Iberia and then Angle-Land.

OK, we've shown off our historical knowledge.

Oh, and my point was that you couldn't blame current corruption in ex-colonies on the ex-colonial powers - it's something native to a lot of cultures. Now, you can blame lack of infrastructure and development on the ex-colonial states *glares at Belgium* but corruption is something the ex-colonies could fix if they wanted to.

[Bono]

China: #78 (tied with 4 others with a 3.2)

blah blah blah

blah blah blah blah

Well, expect corruption in the US to go through the roof anytime then.

[WMS]

China: #78 (tied with 4 others with a 3.2)

blah blah blah

blah blah blah blah

Well, expect corruption in the US to go through the roof anytime then.

Because we're an ex-colony?

[Bono]

China: #78 (tied with 4 others with a 3.2)

blah blah blah

blah blah blah blah

Well, expect corruption in the US to go through the roof anytime then.

Because we're an ex-colony?

No, because you're turnng into an empire.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

In related news, the U.S. drops twenty positions on the Press Freedom Index.

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ie=UTF-8&ncl=http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php%3Fid%3D153690

Their reasoning on giving such a low rating because of Judith Miller going to jail is flawed. However, that might be cancelled out by the fact that Judith Miller is considered a journalist here in America.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

In related news, the U.S. drops twenty positions on the Press Freedom Index.

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ie=UTF-8&ncl=http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php%3Fid%3D153690

Their reasoning on giving such a low rating because of Judith Miller going to jail is flawed. However, that might be cancelled out by the fact that Judith Miller is considered a journalist here in America.

LOL

I wouldn't care if Judith Miller was locked up and they threw away the key.

[WMS]

China: #78 (tied with 4 others with a 3.2)

blah blah blah

blah blah blah blah

Well, expect corruption in the US to go through the roof anytime then.

Because we're an ex-colony?

No, because you're turnng into an empire.

*starts to play 'The Imperial March*

[Huckleberry Finn]

Finlad has lost its number one ranking to Iceland.

[minionofmidas]

Um, of the top five least corrupt nations, four were colonies, two of them for centuries, while the fifth was a former imperial power. In fact one of the ex-colonies now has colonies of its own.
Iceland - former Norwegian colony, then Danish colony.
Finland - former Swedish colony, then Russian colony.
New Zealand - former British colony, now has possessions in Polynesia (Niue, Cook Islands)
Singapore - former British colony
Denmark - formerly colonial power, holding possessions (at various points) all over Scandinavia, the Baltic, and Northeast Germany (then still very much a part of the Baltic), still holding possessions in Greenland and the Faeroe Islands.