A fascinating report titled the Human Security Report was published last week by Oxford University Press. It documents a dramatic decline in the number of wars, genocides and human rights abuse over the past decade. The Report argues that the single most compelling explanation for these changes is found in the unprecedented upsurge of international activism, spearheaded by the UN, which took place in the wake of the Cold War.
The following two graphs have been copied from the report:
The 1960s and 1970s also saw the rise of environmental activism and the birth of Greenpeace and WWF with people like Bob Hunter sailing off to war for whales.
As I see it a percentage of the population are natural ‘warriors’. Can environmental activism replace war for this percentage of the population?
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.
Thats easy Jennifer, its the success of capitalism and the failure of all the other “isms” that is bringing peace.
In the spirit of capitalism the UN are acting to capitalise on this new found prosperity.
Greenies and lefties are failed capitalists in another guise, not actively happy campers.
Rog – I think there’s a heat island effect in the data and time series is suspect.
I wonder what is being smoked, or is it an eccess of “eccies”