Abstract

Since the Second World War, around 250 armed conflicts in over 150 countries and territories have claimed some 10 million lives in battle-related violence. ¹ The current number of armed conflicts has declined markedly since the early 1990s, despite a recent upswing. Persons killed in battle have shrunk dramatically since the Second World War and mortality from violence overall is on a long-term decline (Pinker 2011). However, the thirty-plus ongoing armed conflicts continue to represent a crucial component of human insecurity. In addition to the direct loss of life in battle, armed conflict claims high human costs through disease, refugee flows, and the destruction of infrastructure (Gates et al. 2012). Reducing armed conflict makes a major contribution to improving human security. Can we look forward to a continued reduction in global violence?