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From: Matthew Yglesias

Peace: Still Waiting for Its Chance

By Matthew Yglesias - January 26, 2006, 6:27AM

Like a lot of people, I was very excited by the big human security report proving that despite appearances we're actually living in a golden age of peace, but I didn't actually, um, read the document which was very long. I can, however, read a Fred Kaplan column and he pokes more than a few holes in the "peace epidemic" narrative. That's really too bad.

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Sure. The miseries of the Great Game and Cold War may have gone away, but they have been replaced by the new miseries, of sub-national fragmentation (and attendant rises in civil conflict, genocide, crime, and economic stratification) and trans-national globalization (terrorism, crime, resource shortages, disease, etc). To say nothing of the fact that thousands of people still die every day from malnourishment and preventable disease.

Posted by thebluenomad
January 25, 2006 10:32 PM | Reply | Permalink

And peace is coming to Iraq very soon. Or to put it a little differently, soon we won't be hearing about any suicide bombings, sectarian assassinations, or oil pipeline attacks.

These days, more American reporters are leaving Iraq than arriving. In large part, for the U.S. press, "The party's pretty much over."

By way of Paul McLeary of CJRDaily reporting the remarks of an acting Baghdad bureau chief for an American paper

Posted by Ellen
January 26, 2006 12:28 AM | Reply | Permalink

Here: http://www.danieldrezner.com/archives/002544.html

Posted by vasi
January 26, 2006 7:24 AM | Reply | Permalink

Kaplan's shooting fish in a barrell. The Slate piece more worthy of attention is <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2134845/?nav=ais">Jaco
b Weissburg's</a> disrobing of the Boy King.

Posted by Bragan
January 26, 2006 8:58 AM | Reply | Permalink

Slate article on our would-be King George.

Posted by Bragan
January 26, 2006 9:00 AM | Reply | Permalink

The Human Security Report is about more than just the number of wars happening, though that's all Kaplan's piece addresses. The report also says the number of people actually being killed in wars has gone down dramatically.

Disclaimer: I haven't read the entire report myself either.

Posted by InsaneTrollLogic
January 26, 2006 9:29 AM | Reply | Permalink

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