Over 60 million people died in wars in the 20th century. There have been approximately 30 wars and conflicts going on around the world from the 90's to the start of the 21st century. The majority of casualties are civilians. Ten million children were traumatized, four million disabled and 1.5 million killed by wars in a decade, and the number is growing.

I DREAM OF GIVING BIRTH TO A CHILD WHO WILL ASK, 'MOTHER, WHAT WAS WAR?' EVE MERRIAM


It has been two decades since the end of the Cold War. And there has been some progress in reducing conflicts. Yet violence and war continue around the world and the threat of nuclear, chemical and biological warfare capability is spreading. Whether through terrorism, national or international conflict, the likelihood of such weapons being used may have grown rather than diminished. Dealing successfully with other issues such as hunger, population and expanding economic opportunity can remove some of the age-old reasons for conflict. Basic survival issues fuel ethnic or religious strife. But as a species, we are still working on the causes of violence. Meanwhile, we must do in our world what we do in our neighborhoods, which is establish rules enforced by police and courts. The United Nations has had moments of success, but how to accomplish this consistently in a world of competing interests remains an open question. Our future survival requires an answer.