Wars between states have given way almost entirely to intrastate wars and armed conflicts. In 1999-2000 there were no fewer than fifty such wars, and they had killed 7 milion civilians since their inception. More than 90 percent of them since 1945 have taken place in developing countries. These conflicts increasingly draw surrounding countries into violence.

Like other global issues, addressing the threesome of peacekeeping, conflict prevention, and fighting global terrorism comes only at a modest cost.