Are we moving toward an era of world peace?

[SummerMadness]

Colombia's Milestone in World Peace

The peace treaty announced this week between the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, marks more than the end of one war. It is a milestone for peace in the Americas and the world.

The 52-year war between the Colombian state and the FARC is the oldest and only armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere, and the last one held over from the Cold War. From Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, war — in the classic sense of a violent conflict over governance or territory fought by at least one national army — has disappeared. Although drug-related gang violence in Latin America continues, the extinguishing of political armed conflicts from an entire hemisphere deserves note.

Despite claims to the contrary, we are a world that has become more peaceful. While the world is not universally safe in terms of crime, war around the world has greatly diminished.

Some noteworthy quotes:

Today, there are no military governments in the Americas. No countries are fighting one another. And no governments are battling major insurgencies.

[T]he world’s wars are now concentrated almost exclusively in a zone stretching from Nigeria to Pakistan, an area containing only a sixth of the world's population. Far from being a "world at war," as many people believe, we inhabit a world where five out of six people live in regions largely or entirely free of armed conflict.

Of course, this cannot make us complacent about the horrific violence in the afflicted one-sixth. Rather, by marking the progress in some parts of the world, we can place in sharp focus those parts still ravaged by warfare. Our efforts for peace in those regions can be informed and emboldened by the example of regions like the Americas. War can be transformed from a pervasive means of resolving disputes into something rare, small in scale, and outside the norms of accepted behavior.

 

[trunks2k]

I'd argue that we are. Increased economic interdependence, communication, and travel coupled with the ability to just blow up the whole planet makes armed conflict a less and less viable option.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Wow, that’s amazing. One of the last places I served was in Columbia, about four years ago. While the violence was nothing like the 70s-90s, FARC and the government were still hashing it out in the rain-forest. It is a really pretty country with tons of history.

 

[dgiharris]

I'm not sure if we can say if we are moving towards world peace or if we are just in a lull.

I feel that there is serious rising tension between the West and Muslim world.

And as long as the world economy is addicted to Oil, there is always the potential for war between major powers.

The US cycle of war seems to be about every 10 years. In fact, I'm not sure the US has gone a five year stretch without bombing someone or performing a military Action..

To be clear, I'm not faulting the US. The world is a complex and violent place. And I am of the firm belief that was is just an extension of politics.

I will say that we have a greater potential for peace now. Whether we seize that potential is a whole other matter...

 

[Gadarene]

I'd argue that we are. Increased economic interdependence, communication, and travel coupled with the ability to just blow up the whole planet makes armed conflict a less and less viable option.

Disagree. There is a backlash against globalisation and with Russia's saber-rattling things seem to have taken a step backward.

 

[Vylo]

Slowly, ever so very slowly we are, with some pretty spectacular displays of horror that remind us why we want to move in that direction (World wars, etc.)

 

[SnowyMacie]

Not educational, just a great message and metaphor about war...