Famous Evil Actions by Usually Nice Countries

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According to the definition of ‘evil’ by the Greek philosopher Socrates, ‘the evil action by individuals, societies, or countries are a lack of actions that promote goodness.’ Very often the evil actions are prompted by ignorance when the evildoer is unaware of the consequences of the action. However, this is not always the case as sometimes the evil actions are taken deliberately to inflict an ill-conceived injury to the target. There are no evil countries in the world; it is rather the actions of their governments which determine their status in respect of being good or evil. Moreover, ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are relative terms. What is considered good by one country may be taken as devilish by the other. For example, the drone attacks by America are considered good by the attacker but taken absolutely devilish by those who are the victims and who every day face the loss of innocent lives. Similarly, ‘terrorism’ is an ill-defined term which the only super power country and its allies define in a way that pleases their sensibilities. As such, these countries are far from being nice and do not fall into the category of the usually nice countries. There are definitely many other countries which are usually nice but have, at times, gone off  track.

1. Canada

Canada
Canada

Canada ranks number 4 out of 158 countries on the Global Peace Index of 2012. It is the second largest and sparsely inhabited, peaceful country. When first discovered, asbestos was taken as a great blessing on account of its heat resistance and was extensively used in almost all installations including schools. On later discovering its being carcinogenic or cancer producing, its use even in traces was immediately prohibited throughout Canada. The evil action taken, and is still being taken continuously, is the export of asbestos to the Third World countries in spite of the fullest knowledge of its perils.

2. Denmark

Denmark
Denmark

Denmark is the second most peaceful country of the world having the GPI #2 on the 2012 ranking. Being second out of 158 countries is great, but there is a dark side. An evil action taken by the Danish which is not much known to the outside world. It is the shocking and horrible Danish festival of mass killing of whales and dolphins. The festival is celebrated in the Faroe Islands belonging to Denmark. The cruel festival is traceable to the 10th century, and about 1,000 whales are killed annually in this event known locally as grindadrap. The barbarous act of brutally killing a whale or dolphin is binding upon every adolescent male to prove his adulthood.

3. Spain

 Spain
Spain

According to the Global Peace Index 2012, Spain ranks number 25 out of 158 countries. Considering that a great country like India stands at #142, a rank of 25 is quite a high position. The Alhambra Decree was an evil action in Spanish history. Also known as the Edict of Expulsion, the Alhambra Decree was issued by the joint Catholic Monarchs Isabella Ι of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. Torquemáda was appointed as Grand Inquisitor, and he caused unparalleled torture to convert Muslims and Jews. More than 40,000 Jews were expelled from Spain, and more than 2,000 persons were burnt at the stake for this crime of accepting any religion other than Christianity.

4. New Zealand

 New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is famous for its beautiful mountains, attractive coastlines, and its evergreen rainforests which serve as the habitat of some very unique fauna and flora. Global Peace Index (GPI) ranks this country as number 1, and it attracts tourists from all over the world to see its scenic beauty. A few of its laws have in-built flaws of their susceptibility to misuse. For example, Preventive Detention is a life sentence with a minimum non-parole of five years in prison. The government can imprison a person under this law for some time even without a criminal charge. In another form, the detention of suspects  must follow a criminal charge, but it may be exploited by the ruling parties in favor of their own political interests.

5.  Finland

Finland
Finland

Finland is one of the most peaceful countries of the world. In 2001, Newsweek rated it as the Best Country out of 100 countries, and in 2007 its GPI was 6 out of 121 countries. In the early stages of Operation Barbarossa, the German attack on the Soviet Union, Finland helped the Nazis. It allowed refueling of the German planes returning after dropping mines over the Neva River and Kronstadt. To retaliate, the Soviet Union launched a major air attack on the Finnish air fields and towns. Consequently, Finland declared war against the Soviet Union on June 25, 1941.

6. Switzerland

Switzerland
Switzerland

According to the Global Peace Index 2012, Switzerland ranks number 10 out of 158 countries, Somalia being at the bottom and Afghanistan being at 157. Standing at number 10 in this ranking system is indicative of its high standard of ‘peacefulness.’ Almost all the countries have strict laws to prevent money laundering while Switzerland is only too lenient in this matter. It is well known that corrupt politicians, businessmen, bureaucrats, and event terrorists of some Asian countries have transferred billions of U.S. dollars of black money to the Swiss banks. This enormous revenue leakage has accelerated the receding economies of these countries adding to the misery of their common people.

7. Australia

Australia
Australia

According to the Global Peace Index 2012, Australia ranks number 22 out of 158 countries. Australia is famous for cows and sheep farming. An apparently cruel and evil aspect of the Australian farming is mulesing, which involves slicing the skin, flesh and wool off the backside of the sheep considered susceptible to fly strike. During warm and humid weather, flies tend to lay eggs in the warm and humid woolen back of sheep which consequently gets infested with maggots. The practice is applied to rabbits also. Mulesing is a controversial practice and is permitted by the Australian Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals only as a last resort and provided that the incidence of fly strike is too high and surgery is performed properly. Live skinning is even more cruel wherein snakes and lizards are skinned alive to keep the leather supple.

8.  Costa Rica

Costa Rica
Costa Rica

According to the Global Peace Index 2012 Costa Rica ranks number 36 out of 158 countries ranking it as one of the peaceful countries of the world. An evil action taking place in Costa Rica is shark finning, which is a lucrative multi-million dollar business. Shark fin soup is eaten as a delicacy in many Asian countries, particularly in China and Taiwan. The Fishing Law and Agriculture and Livestock Decree 34,928 prohibits shark finning, the cruel practice of slicing shark fins from the body and disposing off the less valuable meat in order to create more space onboard. In a series of events in 2011, 4 fishing vessels unloaded shark fins attached only to the spines while the flesh and bones were sliced away and discarded.

9. Malaysia

 Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia ranks number 20 out of 158 countries on the Global Peace Index of 2012 which is considered a high ranking. Malaysia is a peaceful and friendly country known for the orangutans’ habitat of the Borneo forests, its rubber plantations, and beautiful coastlines. Indonesia is one of its neighboring countries. The Malaysian Marine Police arrested a number of Indonesian officials near Riau Island province on the charges of borderline breach. Indonesians were extremely angry and called for Ganyang Malaysia, literally meaning ‘destroy Malaysia,’ a slogan used by Soekarno in the 1960 conflict with Malaysia.

10. Belgium

Belgium
Belgium

Belgium ranks number 11 out of 158 countries on the Global Peace Index of 2012. It is one of the most beautiful and peaceful countries in the world. A letter written by the evil King Leopold II of Belgium in 1883 to the colonial missionaries is self-explanatory of the evil action desired by Belgium through misuse of religious teachings. He wrote, ‘Reverends, Fathers, and Dear Compatriots: The task that is given to fulfill is very delicate and requires much tact’¦ Your knowledge of the gospel will allow you to find texts ordering and encouraging your followers to love poverty, like ‘Happier are the poor because they will inherit heaven’ and ‘It’s very difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ You have to detach from them and make them disrespect everything which gives courage to affront us.’

Conclusion:

Aggression by one country against another is not the only evil action taken on account of vested interests. There are other kinds of evil actions, and they may include actions against the preservation of wildlife existing within the jurisdiction of a country. Sporadic occurrences of evil actions have, at times, caused bad relations among nations for a long time. The dissolution of Russia has upset the balance of power, encouraging evil actions by some countries which otherwise had been quite peaceful and well reputed.

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