9781422283929

To understand how social progress differs from one country to another, the Social Progress Imperative scored 133 countries around the world in three main areas: Basic Human Needs: Does a country provide for its people’s most essential needs? Foundations of Well-being: Are the building blocks in place for individuals and communities to enhance and sustain well-being? Opportunity: Is there opportunity for all individuals to reach their full potential? Based on dozens of scores in these three areas, the Social Progress Imperative calculated an overall Social Progress Index (SPI) score for each country. Scores were then classified into six groups, from very low social progress to very high. Actual scores for countries in the Near East can be found in Chapter 4. Countries around the world are using SPI scores and rankings to identify areas for improvement and to help guide social investment. What Is the Near East? The origin of the word “east” comes from Sanskrit, which is one of the world’s most ancient languages. “East” developed from the Sanskrit ushas, which means “dawn.” Ushas is also the goddess of the dawn. She rides a golden chariot on her path across the sky, warding off evil spirits of the night. The word makes sense because the sun rises in the east. Western cultures adopted the terms “Near East” and “Far East” to distinguish between countries in eastern

12

N EAR E AST