freedom house

Jack Palmer 1-19-2012
"Freedom." Photo illustration via Wylio http://bit.ly/xAJy0A

"Freedom." Photo illustration via Wylio http://bit.ly/xAJy0A

Just how free are we?

Freedom is a word often used by politicians, economists and others in positions of power/authority as a byword for happiness. The more freedom we have, the happier we are. Whether this is actually the case, freedom is something that oftentimes may not be particularly tangible.

Freedom House attempts to help us understand what freedom actually looks like in its annual publication, Freedom In The World, with the 2012 edition published today. And their focus? The Arab Uprisings and the impact they have had, and continue to have, on the world.

From the top-line data that Freedom House has collected, the news isn’t good. Despite seeing “the most significant challenge to authoritarian rule since the collapse of Soviet communism” during the past year, only 12 countries actually recorded an overall improvement in their freedoms, in comparison to 26 countries that saw their freedoms lessened.

Jim Wallis 4-06-2010
Religious persecution remains a major problem around the world, whether by repressive governments or by one faith against another. A position of U.S.