This is how the world ends: not with a whimper, but with a bang

The greatest peace in history, now shattered

For most of our lives, we have lived in what historians call the “Long Peace”. It has been an unprecedented era of global tranquillity and progress. Since 1945, the world has experienced no major wars among great powers; a stark contrast to the first half of the 20th century. By many measures, humanity has never been better off.

War-related violence dec…