The 2010 Failed States Index – an annual collaboration between Foreign Policy and The Fund for Peace – lists four Arab countries in the "critical" category. 

Somalia, once again, is the world's most failed state, with Sudan in third place, followed by Iraq (7) and Yemen (15 - three places worse than last year).

The "in danger" category includes Lebanon at 34 (an improvement of five places on last year) and Mauritania (39) which was only "borderline" last year.

Syria (48) has moved from "in danger" to "borderline". Other "borderline" countries are Egypt (48), Comoros (52) and Israel/West Bank (54 – four places worse than last year).