Giving Peace a Chance

Now, more than any other time over the past 12 years, we are living in a peaceful world. And I would also argue that the long term trend away from war is strongly positive. Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that:

Since the end of the Cold War, the number of armed conflicts has declined by more than 40 per cent, while the number of the deadliest conflicts -- those involving more than 1,000 battle-related deaths -- has dropped by 80 per cent.

Similar to how most people thing crime is getting worse, even though statistics clearly show that violent crime is way down over the past 20 years, our pessimism about society separates myths and reality. They do note increasing concerns about terrorism, but the number of people actually dying in terrorist attacks remains relatively low, especially compared to militray combat.

And quick, what country has been involved in the most wars since 1946? Ready? Answer: The U.K., with 21. France is next with 19, and then the U.S. with 16 (!). Russia is fourth with 9.