Political Risk Atlas 2013: Maplecroft Predicts Countries' Growing Unrest

Twenty percent of countries around the world are facing a growing political risk in 2013 -- that's the conclusion of a new study by Maplecroft, a risk analysis group.

Maplecroft's fifth political risk atlas ranks 197 countries on a range of political risk issues, such as conflict, terrorism and rule of law. The organization projects "the spread of violence and instability from Syria and Libya; increasing terrorism across key growth economies; the heightened risk of social unrest driving regime change; and resource nationalism, will be the key drivers of political risk for 2013."

Two of the countries most susceptible to political risk in 2013 will surprise few: Syria and Libya. Maplecroft argues that the ongoing conflicts in these nations are negatively impacting neighboring countries.

The proliferation of weapons from the former Gaddafi regime continues to feed instability from Mali to Sinai; a ‘spill-over’ of the Syrian violence is deepening sectarian fault-lines in Lebanon; while Turkey’s security situation is worsening.

For the first time in half a decade, Turkey is catalogued as at "extreme risk" for terrorism -- the most severe risk category in the index -- due to spillover from the Syrian conflict and the terrorist threat of Kurdish separatist rebels.

Want to find out which countries are most at risk in 2013? Check out the slideshow below or take a look at Maplecroft's interactive map.