The age of violence :: Mmegi Online

PARIS: Global problems are rarely straightforward. But, in general, careful analysis of their various facets leads to some understanding of their causes and, in turn, to reasonably promising solutions. Indeed, the opportunity to analyse such problems regularly is precisely what makes my role as a columnist so gratifying. Lately, however, promising solutions have been increasingly elusive.

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.

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