Notations On Our World (Mid-Week Edition): On the State of the World

As we went to the press with this edition of Notations,  we found this interesting "snapshot" courtesy of the @Economist of London on the State of the World.     We found it very striking how Iran was on the more "stable" index as the United States score was lowered in the aftermath of the elections.   The latest revelations on Russia and the Comey Memo underscores it all.      The Comey Memo has been collaborated--initially reported by the New York Times--has been collaborated by a multitude of sources including the Washington Post and CBS News and CNN.    Our understanding is that the former Director created a paper trail to document his discussions with the White House as the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Jason Chafetz, has asked for the documents.   The White House has denied this forcefully as we went to press.   

Beyond the shores of the United States, we're focused on Iran as it moves towards election day.    The lines are drawn between the incumbent, Hassan Rouhani and the conservative challenger, Ebrahim Raisi as the official campaign ends.    Social Media has been on fire on this.    There have been calls by Iranians Ex-Pats to boycott the elections.   It will be very interesting to see where things fall as we await the results of the elections.

The reporting from the Economist on the State of the World right now is hereby noted below as we continue to assess the aftermath of the latest revelations out of Washington and beyond:  

The state of the world: Signs of improvement A new index of global “fragility” delivers some predictable results. Finland is the world’s most stable country and South Sudan the least. But the Fragile States Index also challenges the popular wisdom that the world grew more turbulent in 2016: a majority of countries in fact became more stable last year. Exceptions abound, not least America, which had its score lowered after a polarising presidential election, writes our data team