In spite of President Obama’s declaration that we are living in the most peaceful era of human history, there are increasing conflicts and terrorism, especially in the Middle East and North Africa and a historic ten-year deterioration in peace, according to the Global Peace Index (GPI).
While 81 countries analyzed became more peaceful in 2015, declines found in 79 others outweighed the often “record high levels of peacefulness” found in most of the world.
While European nations maintained high peace grades, according to the Index, and while American, Caribbean, and Asian Pacific states showed some improvement, much of Africa, South Asia, Eurasia, and the Middle East saw deteriorating peace in 2015. Iceland, Denmark, and Austria saw the highest states of peace in 2015, and Iraq, South Sudan, and Syria the lowest.
Political instability is the largest driver of the decline in international peace and the increase of terrorism across 77 countries. The level of displaced people and refugees is the highest in 60 years. Peacekeeping funding and activities of the United Nations drive the lessoning of violence in other parts of the world.
Violence and terrorism stemming from the Middle East is an ongoing cause for concern in all countries, especially with terror’s spread from that region now escalating in historically unaffected places such as Europe.
However, the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) notes that despite the growth of major issues in places like the Middle East, the world is making progress in reducing violence overall. If we took out the Middle East… the world would have become more peaceful,” said Steve Killelea, founder of the IEP.
“The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” Genesis 6:11