I agree with your observations — and I don’t believe that words are magic and that somehow by stating the decline of war is going to make war suddenly break out.

However, we must be very careful because while everything you say is true, we are beginning to look an awful lot like the early 1900s — where we believed we would study war no more. European society was at its heights — nations were cooperating like never before and then a seemingly insignificant assassination of a minor political figure erupted into the “war to end wars” — and it was only the first one of the century. (Of course, it wasn’t just an assassination — Europe was teetering toward war, and there were indications — but no one believed it.

Various and seemingly unrelated incidents like the Brexit the 2014 invasion into Ukraine come to play, nations begin pulling out of their cooperation with each other — xenophobia sets in, and then you have a flashpoint — something simple, like a military build up in Crimea and an accusation of espionage and terroism — and the unthinkable begins to be thought.

I am not trying to argue against your point — it really sounds like I am, I know. I pray that you are correct! And I am not saying that war will break out. The indications do point to a much more peaceful world.

I just know, too, that humans are humans and we can be quite self-destructive at times. Let’s celebrate the growing penchant for peacefulness — and do everything in our power to make certain we continue marching in that direction!