According to the first Global Peace Index, the United States is ranked 96th out of 121 countries in its peacefulness, and in the drivers that create and sustain that peace. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the country intelligence division of The Economist Group that publishes The Economist newspaper, compiled the Index. They measured countries' peacefulness based on a wide range of indicators - 24 in all - including ease of access to "weapons of minor destruction" (guns, small explosives), military expenditure, local corruption, and the level of respect for human rights.
I'm surprised it took this long to rank countries based on such an important topic. The only other powerful indicators of world peace might be the Nobel Peace Prize and Amnesty International; also, the Carter Center, headed by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalyn Carter reports its own findings, from its "waging peace" around the world.
The troubled U.S. government openness and transparency conditions contributed significantly to its low ranking. A high level of trust between public officials and the general public only exists when our candidates, who run for office, are both honest and accountable; this would be especially attainable in a national electoral system that is fair and equitable among its political parties.
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