The report's authors interpret this graph as showing a dramatic decline in international wars since the end of the Cold War. True, but two things are worth noting. First, the number of these wars has always been small. Second, what this graph really shows is a continuous series of waves—wars going up, wars going down—throughout time. We're riding on a down cycle at the moment, but have we entered a sea of calm—or just a pause before the next wave?
