'Good countries' ranking: U.S. 21st

No matter how predominant and global is post-recession introversion, no country can escape the mutual ties that bind. Like or lump it, the days of nation-as-island are long gone. Everything we do, need, use, and - generally - want is connected to people and resources far beyond national borders. Thus has human survival become globally codependent; not exactly breaking news, yet easy to forget when political push comes to reactive shove.

In this hyperconnected world, being a "good neighbor" becomes even more important, and more complex. So Oxford-educated Simon Anholt, a policy adviser and government consultant, created the Good Country Index. It measures 35 factors indicating what nations give to and take from one another, focusing on seven areas: science and technology, culture, international peace and security, world order, planet and climate, prosperity and equality, and health and well-being.

Using this balance sheet, each of 125 countries measured might see whether they make a net positive or net negative impact on the world - a donor to or a burden on others, or somewhere between.

The most "good country?" Ireland, followed by Finland, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The worst? Libya, preceded by Iraq and Vietnam. The U.S. ranked 21st overall. Most in the top quarter are European, but also include New Zealand (5), Japan (25), Kenya (26), and Singapore (27), as well as Costa Rica (22), Chile (24), and Guatemala (29).

Factors considered include the size of the economy, amount of charity, peacekeeping, freedom of the press, Nobel Prize winners, numbers of other nations' citizens killed by armed forces, arms trade, toxic waste, number of refugees accepted, scientific journals and newspapers relative to GDP, study abroad/exchange programs, investment, humanitarian aid, and drug seizures, to name a few. Anholt used three years of data sets from sources including UNESCO, the World Bank, governments, and various international nonprofits.

Some rankings may challenge stereotypes, such as the U.K. ranking No. 1 in its contribution to science and technology. Spain ranked first in health and well-being.

The U.S. (21) ranked fairly well in most areas, but low (114) in international peace and security. Other U.S. rankings include 7 for well-being, 26 for science, 28 for world order, 39 for planet/climate, and 53 for equality and prosperity.

The idea, says Anholt, is not to create fodder for moral judgment, but to encourage mutual benefit and generate discussion where there is room for improvement. What are we, and our leaders, working toward? Are the projected and actual outcomes purely self-interested? Or do they make a positive ripple effect? If not, is our impact on others at least neutral?

"People live in each other's shelter." - Irish proverb

Sholeh Patrick, J. D. is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at Sholeh@cdpress.com.