New Zealand and Scandinavian Countries Named Most Peaceful of 2009

Vision of Humanity has ranked New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Austria as the top five most peaceful countries of 2009 in the Global Peace Index. According to an article on theage.com, New Zealand was awarded top place because of its low violence rate, decreased military spending, low homicide rate, and high level of respect for human rights. As for the Scandinavian nations, I have read multiple articles that claim Jante Law is largely, or, at least, partially, repsonsible for their success as peaceful nations. For those who are unaware of the nature and meaning of Jante Law, it is best summed up in the following ten rules:


1) Don't think that you are special.
2) Don't think that you are of the same standing as us.
3) Don't think that you are smarter than us.
4) Don't fancy yourself as being better than us.
5) Don't think that you know more than us.
6) Don't think that you are more important than us.
7) Don't think that you are good at anything.
8) Don't laugh at us.
9) Don't think that anyone of us cares about you.
10) Don't think that you can teach us anything.


So, what do you think? What can we learn from New Zealand? Is Jante Law a good foundation for the establishment of peace in a community or nation? Please comment with your thoughts.