A boy drinks water from a pond in Bule Duba village in the outskirts of Moyale, near the edge of Oromo and Somali regions of Ethiopia, June 12, 2009. Prolonged drought, lack of water and limited pasture have led to conflict between the Somali and Borena ethnic groups in southern Ethiopia which left hundreds of people dead in February this year. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) says it needs some 100 million Swiss francs to prevent conflict, famine and epidemics as well as restore the livelihoods of 2.5 million people in the Horn of Africa. Picture taken June 12, 2009. REUTERS/Irada Humbatova

Tragedy Three children's bodies lie in a makeshift morgue at the South Oromia clinic in Ethiopia. Photo TIME

According to the Failed States Index 2009, Ethiopia is the 16th most failed state in the world; Ethiopia’s rank is worse than that of North Korea, where a tyrant rules with unflinching military dictatorship. The Index is a collaboration between Foreign Policy and The Fund for Peace; the Index is intended to highlight states that pose global security threats or bring tragedies for their own people. In March 2009 Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was ranked as the 16th World’s Worst Dictator by Parade magazine.

Foreign Policy has also revealed that, out of the most failed states in the world, Ethiopia is the 2nd big lobbying spender in Washington, DC; a jaw-dropping $4.4 millions was spent by the Ethiopian government for lobbying lawmakers.

The border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea continues to pose dangers ahead, according to Foreign Policy. The Ethiopian government’s clampdown on opposition as well as non-governmental organizations, and the skyrocketing food prices are examples of the characteristics of the failed state in Ethiopia. The border standoff has also led to the proxy war in Somalia between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Somalia is the #1 most failed state in the world, and this proxy war has exacerbated the already fragile situation in Somalia.

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