The age of violence

Simply put, much of the world is mired in conflict, with little hope of escape. In Ukraine, violent clashes between pro-Russian separatists and the police are just the latest development in the country’s deteriorating security situation. Syria remains locked in a brutal civil war. And tensions between Israel and Iran over the latter’s nuclear programme – not to mention Israel’s decades-old conflict with Palestine – are exacerbating instability in the Middle East, where 10 countries, taken together, have become the world’s largest market for weapons, purchasing more new arms annually than China.