Editorials & Other Articles
In reply to the discussion: A free Palestine would be a Taliban-like state, says Salman Rushdie [View all]Beastly Boy
(10,922 posts)that doesn't change with one's biases or sentiments.
https://freedomhouse.org/reports/freedom-world/freedom-world-research-methodology
You may find it unfortunate that this methodology makes clear distinctions between the territories it assesses, such as "whether the area is governed separately from the rest of the relevant country or countries", or " whether conditions on the ground for political rights and civil liberties are significantly different from those in the rest of the relevant country or countries", or "whether the territory is the subject of enduring popular or diplomatic pressure for autonomy, independence, or incorporation into another country", etc.
These criteria are selected for good reasons, tested for decades and found effective to insure accuracy in assessing the ranking of any specific territory on terms that are equal and consistent with any other territory.
You may also find it unfortunate that this methodology makes a clear distinction between military administration and civil administration, does not equate "annexed" with "as if it were annexed", or whether anyone else considers a territory to be or not be a separate territory.
And, apparently, they don't seem to give a feck about what other people or institutions think should or shouldn't be counted in their freedom index.