Across the globe, the level of armed conflict in Muslim countries is far lower today than it was two decades ago, notes Professor Andrew Mack, project director of the Human Security Report at Simon Fraser. Moreover, support for al-Qaeda and other radical Islamist groups has declined substantially throughout the Muslim world.
...over time, in the form of the demise of colonialism, the end of the Cold War and a doubling in the number of democratic states. All of this has led to a dramatic reduction in international warfare and civil wars.
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The major powers on earth have not fought each other for more than 60 years, the longest period of major power peace in centuries. Fifty years ago, there were on average six international conflicts every year. In the new millennium, the average has been one.
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The Global Peace Index gauges safety and security in society and militarization in 149 countries. Over the last year it registered overall increases in several indicators, including the likelihood of violent demonstrations and perceptions of criminality.
The GPI also ranks 149 nations in terms of their peacefulness. New Zealand, Iceland, Japan, Austria and Norway are the top five. Pakistan, Sudan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq are the bottom five. The United States, entangled in two wars, is ranked 85th.
Again, look closer at that list: Japan and Germany, only 70 years ago, were bent on world war. Today Japan is considered the third most peaceful nation in the world; Germany is the 16th, a couple of spots ahead, even, of Switzerland.
Finally, consider another nation ranked as among the world's most peaceful: Ireland. For decades Northern Ireland was wracked by civil war and terrorism. It was a place of bombings, murders, civilian deaths. Now it is a place of peace.
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