Who qualifies for political asylum in the U.S.?

In order to qualify for political asylum in the United States you must establish that you are a "refugee" as that term is defined by U.S. law. U.S. law defines the term refugee as:

[A]ny person who is outside any country of such person's nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which such person last habitually resided, and who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

If you live in a country that is generally unstable economically or politically you will likely not qualify for asylum. The standard for asylum is very strict and requires a specific showing that you (personally) are persecuted because of your race, religion, political opinion, or nationality.