By Joseph Chamie
PORTLAND, USA, Apr 2 2025 – For most voters, to make America great again, as the 47th president has repeatedly pledged, meant to make the United States markedly superior globally. However, the administration’s actions, policies and program cuts will not improve but only worsen the US’s mediocre standing among advanced countries.

Nevertheless, in order to assess the administration’s prospects to make America great again, it is appropriate and necessary to establish the current standing or rank of the US across various important dimensions.

Regarding economic strength and military power, the United States has the highest rankings worldwide. The US gross national product (GNP), for example, is in first place and well ahead of other countries (Figure 1).

Source: World Bank, OECD and Global Fire Power.

In per capita income, however, the United States falls to around 5th place behind countries such as Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland and Ireland. Furthermore, America’s debt-to-GDP ratio is the fourth largest among OECD economies, behind Japan, Greece and Italy, and is at its highest level since World War II.

With respect to military power, the United States is in first place. The US maintains its lead in warfare with its sizable armed forces combined with substantial advanced military technologies.

One valued and recognized dimension of societal development and human wellbeing is life expectancy at birth. The US life expectancy at birth of about 78 years is lower than the OECD average of about 80 years. In fact, the US life expectancy at birth ranks about 32nd and well behind Canada, Italy, Japan and Switzerland.

In terms of its ranking, the US life expectancy at birth of about 78 years is lower than the OECD average of about 80 years. In fact, the US life expectancy at birth ranks about 32nd and well behind Canada, Italy, Japan and Switzerland. Despite the fact that the US life expectancy lags behind other wealthy nations, the country’s president issued an executive order rolling back policies to limit drug spending by Medicaid and Medicare.

A related indicator of development is the infant mortality rate. Similar to life expectancy at birth, the infant mortality rate of the United States ranks poorly in comparison to other high-income countries. The US rate is approximately three times the rates of Japan, Norway and Sweden (Figure 2).

Source: United Nations and OECD.

Again despite its relatively low ranking, the administration made far-reaching financial cuts in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those and related actions by the administration have contributed to grinding the National Institutes of Health to a halt, set back its scientific reporting and sent shockwaves through academia and the biomedical research institutions.

Another frequent measure of a country’s standing in the world is the level of poverty among its population. Among OECD countries, the United States has the second highest poverty level at 18% and well below Canada (11%), France (9%), Germany (12%), Italy (13 %), Switzerland (10%) and the United Kingdom (12%).

An important dimension reflecting security and public safety is the level of homicides. Again among the OECD countries, the United States has the fourth highest intentional homicide rate and is double the OECD average. Moreover, the US homicide rate is more than ten times the rates of Ireland, Italy, Japan, Norway and Switzerland.

A second measure related to crime is a country’s incarceration rate. Among the OECD countries, the United States has the highest incarceration rate, which is approximately five times the OECD average rate.

One indicator reflecting the health of members of a population is the proportion of its adult population who are obese. Again, the United States is well ahead other developed countries in its level of obesity (Figure 3).

Source: OECD, PEW Research Center, Economic and Social Rights Fulfillment Index and World Happiness Report.

The rate of obesity among US adults is approximately 42% or nearly double the OECD average proportion. In striking contrast, the levels of other countries are much lower, such as in France (10%), Germany (23%), Italy (18%), Japan (8%), Russia (24%), Switzerland (15%) and the United Kingdom (17%). Moreover, with the administration laying off 10,000 employees at the Health and Human Services Department, America’s health conditions are not likely to improve but worsen.

While it leads the world in military power and GNP, the United States is well behind many other advanced countries with respect to life expectancy, infant mortality, health, poverty, homicide and crime, family structure, education, human rights, status of women, maternal mortality and reported happiness

A widely recognized measure of societal development and valued by a country’s citizens is the level of education provided to the general public. Among the top countries having a well-developed public education system are Japan, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Finland, Germany and Canada, with the US ranked at approximately the 12th position.

Similarly with respect to student performance at the primary and secondary levels, America is not among the top ten countries. The administration’s decision to eliminate the Department of Education will likely worsen the US standing on public education.

In terms of family structure, the United States leads the world in single-parent household rates, with the large majority of those households missing a father.

In 2023, nearly one in four children in the US aged 0‒17 years, totaling about 19 million, were living in a household without their biological, step, or adoptive father, mostly with their mother (85% of cases). The US proportion of children in single-parent households is markedly higher than the levels of Japan (7%), Mexico (7%), Germany (12%), Canada (15%) and France (16%).

Human rights is a vital aspect of societal well-being and development. The United States typically ranks lower than other high-income OECD countries on human rights indicators.

Among 24 high-income OECD countries, the United States ranks at the bottom at 24th with respect to economic and social rights. And the situation has worsened recently as the president signed a sweeping executive order denouncing federal worker unions as hostile and rescinding collective bargaining agreements of federal union workers.

Closely related to human rights is the status of women. Here again, the United States is not among the top ten countries. Far ahead of the US with respect to the status of women are countries such as Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Among 29 OECD countries, the US ranks 19th.

Moreover, two indicators of the status of women that have worsened in the US are maternal mortality and political violence against women. The US has the highest level of maternal mortality among OECD countries. Also, women in the US who take on political leadership are frequent targets of violence and harassment.

Finally with respect to reported happiness among its citizens, the United States is not among the top countries. Whereas the top four countries in 2025 are Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden, the US ranks 24th among countries in terms of life satisfaction.

The relatively low ranking of the United States on reported happiness is believed to be due to the cost of living, economic uncertainty and the political polarization. The administration’s recent decisions and rhetoric have only increased economic uncertainty and political polarization across the United States.

Also, many are concerned about proposals to alter the country’s social safety. As the administration and Republican Congressional leaders push to pass a tax cut extension, they are considering reforms and cost reductions to the country’s major entitlement programs that are consuming about half of all federal spending, in particular Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.

In sum, while it leads the world in military power and GNP, the United States is well behind many other advanced countries with respect to life expectancy, infant mortality, health, poverty, homicide and crime, family structure, education, human rights, status of women, maternal mortality and reported happiness.

The administration’s actions, policies, program cuts and employee firings will not improve but likely only worsen America’s mediocre standing on virtually every major measure of societal wellbeing and development. Finally, about that unremitting pledge by the US president to make America great again, it’s well on its way to the graveyard of vain political slogans.

Joseph Chamie is a consulting demographer, a former director of the United Nations Population Division and author of numerous publications on population issues, including his recent book, “Population Levels, Trends, and Differentials”.

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 2 2025 – After nearly two years of extended warfare and protracted crises as a result of the Sudanese Civil War, Sudan remains the world’s biggest internal displacement crisis. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), heightened insecurity, widespread famine, economic strife, and climate shocks threaten the lives of approximately 25.6 million people.

On March 28, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released a report examining the scale of needs in Sudan. It is currently estimated that roughly half of Sudan’s population faces acute food insecurity. Famine has been declared in five areas, including North Darfur and the Western Nuba mountains. FAO predicts that famine is imminent in numerous conflict hotspots, such as Darfur, Khartoum and Kordofan.

As a result of unrelenting insecurity in Sudan for nearly two years, agricultural systems have been decimated. Climate shocks, damage to critical infrastructures, and the lack of essential services, such as veterinary care and gardening tools, have made it nearly impossible for the majority of Sudanese civilians to self-sufficiently produce food or income. FAO estimates that the livelihoods of nearly two-thirds of the population have been disrupted.

“This is a full-scale hunger crisis and I’m going to call it a catastrophe. The civil war has killed thousands, uprooted millions and set the country ablaze, and yet it’s forgotten, (despite being) the epicentre of the world’s largest and most severe hunger crisis ever,” said World Food Programme (WFP) Director Cindy McCain.

Zahra Abdullah, a Sudanese refugee residing in the Al Salam displacement shelter bordering Nyala City, told Doctors Without Borders (MSF) of the harsh living conditions for displaced civilians.

“This is not the first war I have experienced, but it is definitely the most devastating to my life. The living conditions here are harsh, and everything is a daily struggle…But even so, the suffering never ends. It starts with finding clean water to drink, continues with trying to provide enough food, and ends with finding a place to sleep. Sometimes I sit alone and think: is this the life I will live forever?” said Abdullah.

FAO urgently requires 156.7 million USD to provide food assistance to over 14.2 million people in 2025. FAO’s investments in the agricultural sector include deliveries of crop packages, livestock vaccinations, and economic assistance for families who run fisheries. If fully funded, this would enable Sudanese civilians to produce income self-sufficiently and diversify their diets, helping to offset malnutrition and food insecurity.

In their March 30 situation update on the current levels of insecurity in Sudan, UNHCR reported high levels of conflict present in the Khartoum, Kordofan, Darfur, and White Nile States, with regular airstrikes and artillery shellings destroying civilian infrastructures and causing significant civilian casualties.

According to figures from the United Nations (UN), there have been dozens of reported casualties and over 120,000 internal civilian displacements in the past few weeks alone. Within the first three months of 2025, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) has recorded 1,925 civilian casualties as a result of explosive weapons in Sudan.

On March 25, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) conducted an airstrike on the Tura Market, which is roughly 45 kilometers away from El Fasher in the North Darfur state. Although the total number of civilian casualties has yet to be confirmed, it is estimated to fall between 100 and 270. Adam Rejal, a spokesperson for the Sudanese humanitarian organization General Coordination, stated that women accounted for more than half of the casualties.

According to the latest figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) update, there are currently over 11 million internally displaced civilians in Sudan, with the majority having been displaced from Khartoum, South Darfur, and North Darfur.

Despite conflict continuing to rage on in Sudan, IOM recorded a decrease in internal displacements by 2.4 percent between December 2024 and March 2025. Although IOM estimates that roughly 400,000 internally displaced civilians have begun returning to their homes in Al Jazirah, Khartoum, and Sennar, many have returned to areas that lack critical resources such as food, shelter, and healthcare. According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), bombardments and artillery shellings have destroyed or significantly damaged a litany of critical infrastructures, including water reservoirs, hospitals, and schools.

“While many people are eager to return home, the conditions for safe and sustainable return and integration are not yet in place,” said Mohamed Refaat, Chief of Mission of IOM Sudan. “Basic services including healthcare, protection, education, and food are scarce, and the lack of functional infrastructure and financial capacity will make it difficult for families to rebuild their lives.”

Levels of displacement have been on the rise in North Darfur and the White Nile states due to heightened insecurity in those areas. The UN and its partners remain on the frontlines of this crisis, providing basic services and nutritional assistance to communities that have been hit the hardest by this crisis.

On March 27, WFP delivered 1,200 metric tons of food to roughly 100,000 people in the Bahri and Omdurman regions in Khartoum, marking the first time WFP deliveries had successfully reached civilians in the area since the latest surge of hostilities.

IPS UN Bureau Report

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?’http’:’https’;if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+’://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js’;fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, ‘script’, ‘twitter-wjs’);  

Boosting faint hopes of still finding survivors, rescue workers from Myanmar and Turkey pulled a man alive from the rubble of a hotel in the capital early on Wednesday, five days after the quake hit. But hope of finding more survivors is slim after central Myanmar was devastated by a massive earthquake last Friday. Now […]

By Guy Dinmore
LONDON/MANDALAY, Apr 2 2025 – Boosting faint hopes of still finding survivors, rescue workers from Myanmar and Turkey pulled a man alive from the rubble of a hotel in the capital early on Wednesday, five days after the quake hit. But hope of finding more survivors is slim after central Myanmar was devastated by a massive earthquake last Friday. Now aid workers are struggling to deliver body bags, medicines and food and water against the backdrop of civil war.

With temperatures around 40 degrees, the stench of death pervades piles of rubble that once were homes, blocks of flats, hospitals, government buildings, Buddhist temples, mosques, marketplaces, schools and nurseries. Many of the victims of the daytime disaster were children, Muslims at Friday prayers, civil servants and monks taking exams.

Among more than 3,000 confirmed deaths so far were 50 children and two teachers killed when their preschool collapsed in Mandalay, according to the UN relief coordinator. The UN also said 10,000 buildings in the area around the capital Naypyitaw had “collapsed or sustained severe damage”.

“Body bags, quicklime powder, water sanitisers, drinking water, dry food.” So begins the list of most urgently needed items requested by civil society organisations that have set up the Myanmar Emergency Response Coordination Unit, based mostly across the border in Thailand.

The military junta, which seized power from an elected government in 2021, made a fast and unexpected appeal for international aid. But hopes of at least a pause in the war were soon dashed as the regime continued daily air strikes against resistance forces and civilians.

A unilateral declaration of a two-week halt to its offensive by forces under the National Unity Government, representing the ousted administration, has gone unanswered.

Rescue workers allowed to enter Myanmar are mainly from ‘friendly’ countries, including China and Russia—the junta’s main suppliers of armaments—and neighbours Thailand and India. A team of disaster experts from Italy – no stranger to earthquakes – was on standby for days but no visas came through.

The Great Wall Hotel in Mandalay on March 31, three days after the 7.7 magnitude quake hit central Myanmar. Credit: IPS Reporter

Julie Bishop, UN Special Envoy on Myanmar and former Australian prime minister, called on all parties “to immediately cease hostilities and focus their efforts on the protection of civilians, including aid workers, and the delivery of life-saving assistance”.

She also called on the regime to allow safe and unfettered access to UN agencies and partners to reach all people in need.

A local reporter in Mandalay confirmed that, “Fuel and water shortages are a big problem. There is no power. Fuel cannot get to earthquake-affected areas because roads and bridges are broken.

“People on the ground have not received international aid,” she added. “Many local individuals are making donations for food, water and other basic needs for the quake victims.”

Volunteers and CSOs are struggling to get aid to victims in towns and rural areas held by the resistance as well as to Mandalay – the country’s second biggest city, which is under military control and was close to the epicentre of the 7.7 magnitude quake.

“There have been reports and people calling us stating youth groups heading to Mandalay and passing to Kalaw and to Inle have been detained. So far, several dozen recorded. Their friends have asked us for help getting them released; some were men likely conscripted,” one activist wrote in a warning to others.

The confirmed death toll rises daily. On April 1 the regime’s General Min Aung Hlaing said in a televised address that 2,719 bodies had been recovered, while Democratic Voice of Burma said it had documented 3,195 dead. Thousands more are injured.

Even four days after the quake struck – and many areas still rocked by daily aftershocks – little information has emerged from swaths of central Myanmar, deprived of barely any communications because of the junta’s attempts to isolate civilian strongholds of the various ethnic armed groups and ‘People’s Defence Forces’ set up since the coup.

As well as communications, the quake has destroyed roads, bridges, and power lines. The sprawling metropolis of Yangon, largely unscathed, is without electricity and short of water.

Tom Andrews, UN special rapporteur on Myanmar, spoke of “consistent reports” of aid being blocked by the regime, rescue workers denied access, and continuing air strikes.  The NUG reported air strikes on seven locations across the country in the early hours of April 1.

In terms of territory, the military’s State Administration Council can barely exert its authority over a third of the country, having steadily lost ground to a complex and loosely allied array of opposition forces, some with long historic grievances against regimes dominated by the Bamar majority. But in terms of population, the regime holds sway over the biggest urban areas, including Yangon and Mandalay and the newly built capital Naypyitaw.

The NUG, struggling to assert its own authority as a parallel government with its goal of establishing a federal, democratic Myanmar, has appealed to the international community to mobilise resources.

A separate appeal issued by 265 Myanmar regional and international civil society organisations called on the world not to channel aid through the regime but through the NUG, “ethnic resistance organisations” and civil society.

“ We emphasise that these disaster relief efforts, through any implementing partners, must not be exploited, manipulated, or weaponised by the military junta for its political and military gain,” their open letter stated.

“Myanmar’s history provides stark warnings about the dangers of channelling aid through the military junta,” it said, referring to the disaster of Cyclone Nargis, which killed an estimated 100,000 people in 2008 when the previous military regime initially refused international aid and then manipulated its distribution ahead of a national referendum on a new constitution.

The CSOs took particular aim at UN agencies already stationed in Myanmar, warning them not to allow the regime to obstruct or prevent aid delivery as it has in the four years since the coup.

Even if the junta were to cease its offensives – as some Asian governments are starting to call for – and allow unfettered access to aid agencies, the depth of Myanmar’s degradation through years of conflict and oppression would require massive amounts of support that show no sign of arriving.

A building reduced to rubble in Thapyaygone market in the capital Naypyitaw following the March 28 earthquake that has killed over 3,000 people. Credit: IPS Reporter

Even before the quake struck on March 28, the UN was warning that nearly 20 million people in Myanmar – over a third of the population – needed humanitarian assistance, including some 3.5 million people internally displaced because of conflict. Several million have also been forced or sought shelter beyond Myanmar’s borders, including over 900,000 in the world’s biggest refugee encampment in Bangladesh.

Just some weeks ago, the regime was trying to stamp its authority by shutting down private hospitals and clinics in Mandalay that had employed staff from the anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement who had previously worked in state hospitals.

China, which sees Myanmar as a vital strategic link to the Indian Ocean for oil and gas pipelines and a deep sea port, has been quick to send in aid and its Blue Sky rescue workers, working closely with the regime in Mandalay.

Beijing’s path to greater influence over Myanmar had already been smoothed by the Trump administration’s pre-quake decision to slash its aid that went mainly to refugees, UN agencies, and CSOs in the border areas.

Delivering a statement to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva less than two weeks before the quake, Andrews, the special rapporteur, condemned the Myanmar regime’s atrocities against civilians “unleashing jet fighters and helicopter gunships to strike hospitals, schools, teashops, religious facilities, festivals and camps for internally displaced persons”.

But he also lashed out at the “sudden, chaotic withdrawal of support” by the US government, which he described as having “a crushing impact” on families, refugee camps, and human rights defenders. He also noted the World Food Programme had announced that one million people would be cut off from life-saving food assistance in Myanmar because of budget cuts by the US and other donors.

Note: Additional reporting from IPS correspondents in Myanmar.
IPS UN Bureau Report,

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?’http’:’https’;if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+’://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js’;fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, ‘script’, ‘twitter-wjs’);