14 December 2011

Armed Conflicts Declined Worldwide in 2010



Project Ploughshares just published its 2011 Armed Conflicts Report, which covers the 2010 calendar year. Ploughshares has assembled this report every year since 1987.

Here are some of the highlights:

  • In 2000, the number of armed conflicts worldwide began to decline. It blipped upward again toward the latter half of the decade, then stabilized in 2008-2009. In 2010, the number dropped, bringing it back down below the plateau. 
  • In 2010 there were 24 active armed conflicts worldwide. 
  • No new conflicts were added in 2010. 
  • Conflicts in four countries--Nepal, Burundi, Sri Lanka and Uganda--appear to have ended. 
  • Africa and Asia still host 75% of the world's armed conflicts, even accounting for the four that ended there. 
  • Between 2001 and 2010 thirty two (32) conflicts ended, and only twelve (12) conflicts started or re-emerged. Only 5 of those 12 are still active. 

Conclusion: While this trend means that very few new conflicts have emerged in the last decade, it also points to the protracted nature of many of the world’s armed conflicts, the overwhelming majority of which have been active for well over a decade.

You can check out these excellent resources for the ACR Report:



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