Out of conflict can come opportunity

While it may seem like the world is in constant upheaval, a shift in focus toward countries and communities that have managed to survive — and be successful — despite revolution, genocide and deep-rooted corruption can provide a window into strategies that have actually worked. They may even  offer ideas that can be translated and adapted to other places in transition.

There are more examples of positive change in the world than what may appear in daily headlines, but here, we briefly spotlight three countries in transition that seem to have, to some extent, cracked the code. Rwanda has emerged as a beacon of hope with its remarkable advances in health care since the devastating genocide that plagued its people in 1994. Georgia revamped its entire police force in the wake of its Rose Revolution with dramatic, far-reaching moves. And Tunisia, while it is definitely not in the safe zone just yet, has proven to be closer to the democratic ideals its people demanded during the Arab Spring than its neighbors.

With staggering numbers in health care improvement, Rwanda has left many wondering, how? Its national health care now claims to have almost 95 percent of the population covered (a number that some say may be exaggerated, but nevertheless does not diminish the impact of the program). Cases of HIV and malaria, infant mortality and maternal health have all plummeted exponentially since 1990, according to the World Health Organization.