Unhappy countries of South Asia

The commonality of unhappy countries is as clearly recognisable as that of the happy ones.

The opening line of Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina makes every unhappy family believe that they are unhappy in their own ways while all happy families must be alike. The power of literary flourish has made the idea of singularity so compelling that few dare to question its universality. The commonality of unhappy countries, however, is as clearly recognisable as that of the happy ones.