Locking up the dogs of war: huge decline in war-related deaths

David A. Bell, a professor at Princeton University who specialises in the era of North Atlantic revolutions, is critical of those who feel that the high hopes many held for the colour revolutions and the Arab Spring have been betrayed.

In a recent article, "Inglorious revolutions" (The National Interest, January-February 2014), Bell observed: "It is unreasonable, even rather absurd, to expect revolutions to usher in stable representative democracies that respect human rights virtually overnight.

"It is condescending and cruel to scold countries for their 'failure' to reproduce, within a span of a year or two, what took France, the United States and many other countries decades or even centuries to achieve".

Professor Bell stresses that only a "serious external incentive structure" - that is, ongoing commitments to economic development and protection, like the Marshall Plan for Europe after World War II - can "jump start" these revolutions to achieve a successful, rapid and democratic conclusion.

Which comes back to the paradox of today's media. In putting combatants on all sides under the magnifying glass, the media creates the impression (contrary to the wider global picture) that war and conflict are more widespread than ever. But, at the same time, its scrutiny of the horrors of war has helped to dampen conflicts.

So let's not despair. Despite several intensive, localised conflicts, we live in a time of relative peace. Currently, there are no major wars between powerful nation states.

At the same time, there is a crying need for a greater focus on promoting dialogue between states, cultures and religions with the aim of building national economies, mature democracies and respect for human rights in order to lock up the dogs of war.