Portraits of Instability

Haunting images from the world's most fragile states.

BY ELIZABETH DICKINSON, ANNIE LOWREY, JOSHUA KEATING | JULY/AUG 2009

2. ZIMBABWE

Burden of disease: On top of the flurry of political turmoil that followed Zimbabwe's contested presidential elections in the spring of 2008, another crisis soon erupted. Cholera, a preventable water-borne disease, broke out as thousands fled their homes, many trying to emigrate. Not surprisingly, the epidemic struck with particular strength near the refugees' destination: the South African border. By January 2009, 57,702 people had been infected, leaving more than 3,000 dead, according to the World Health Organization. The family here buries a relative who died of the disease 25 km from Harare in December 2008.

DESMOND KWANDE/AFP/Getty Images

 SUBJECTS:
 

Elizabeth Dickinson is an assistant editor at FP.

Annie Lowrey is an assistant editor at FP.

Joshua Keating is deputy Web editor at FP.

SAGHIR AHMED

12:29 AM ET

June 29, 2009

Pakistan No 10 Failed state

This is FALSE

this seems very funny for an average Pakistani like me that Pakistan is more failed state than Nigeria, Kenya, and stands near Iraq, Afghanistan etc. this is false and surely based of wrong perceptions. No Pakistani can believe it. Pakistan is still much better place than many countries present in the same list.

Saghir Ahmed
Islamabad