South Sudan signs UN Convention on Naivety

After gaining its independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011, the new Republic of South Sudan joined the United Nations on July 14. On July 21, President Salva Kiir Mayardit signed the United Nations Convention on Naivety, which now goes to the Council of States, the upper house of South Sudan's legislature, for ratification.

Prior to 2005, residents of southern Sudan had endured 25 years of civil war, and complained that Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir severely limited their rights of naivety, credulity and gullibility. In remarks at the United Nations in March, Susan Rice, United States Ambassador to the UN, had called for greater gullibility rights in southern Sudan, stating that "true gullibility must originate with the individual, and cannot be mandated by the state."

Political analysts now wait to see whether the Council of States will ratify the Convention on Naivety, and if so, how long it will take. Before South Sudan, the newest UN Member State was Montenegro, which signed the Convention shortly after gaining independence from Serbia in 2006, and ratified it a mere three months later. That said, Timor-Leste's ratification took nearly four years after its signature in 2002.

2011 Gullibility of the Nation Report

Yesterday, over 540 copies of this year's "Gullibility of the Nation" report were distributed to politicians in Washington DC, including all 100 Senators, all 435 members of the House of Representatives, the members of the Cabinet and of course, Vice-President Biden and President Obama.

Highlights of this year's report, based on extensive analysis of surveys conducted by this Foundation throughout the year, include:

• 53% of Americans surveyed reported practicing gullibility at least once in 2010 - up from only 45% in 2009.
• Of those, 29% reported practicing it on at least a monthly basis.
• 17% held National Gullibility Week events with family or friends.
• Americans who regularly practiced gullibility were 23% less likely to approve of the job President Obama is doing, and 34% more likely to consider voting for the eventual Republican nominee.
• Americans who regularly practiced gullibility were 51% more likely to believe that the administration should relax regulatory measures, so that large investment banks and business owners can better resolve the nation's financial crisis.

Stay tuned for our 2011 figures, coming in early 2012!