It is true that Bulgaria is an island of stability in the Eastern Balkans.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama's Bilateral Meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov of Bulgaria | The White House

In these circumstance, Azerbaijan is an island of stability and development.

NPR: Azerbaijan President Visits Washington

China stands at the head of a very short list, and that nation's long-held reputation as Asia's emerging economic giant and new-found gloss as an island of stability both tempt investor attention.

CNN: Red Chip Frenzy Again?

It is a measure of the stability of this Indian Ocean island, far off Africa's east coast, that all this has been in the offing since an election in 2000.

ECONOMIST: Mauritius changes government

So why don't more people go home now that Kenya has reverted to its traditional role as an island of relative peace, stability and economic growth amid other East African nations plagued by chronic violence?

CNN: Thousands remain displaced months after Kenyan violence