funded by the governments of Canada, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom and is published by Oxford University Press, also examines recent developments that suggest the world is becoming a more dangerous place. These include the following:--Four of the world's five deadliest conflicts--in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia--involve Islamist insurgents. --Over a quarter of the conflicts that started between 2004 and 2008 have been associated with Islamist political violence. --In the post-Cold War period a greater percentage of the world's countries have been involved in wars than at any time since the end of World War II. --Armed conflict numbers increased by 25 percent from 2003 to 2008 after declining for more than ten years. --Intercommunal and other conflicts that do not involve a government increased by more than 100 percent from 2007 to 2008. --The impact of the global economic crisis on developing countries risks generating political instability and increasing the risk of war. --Wars have become "intractable"--i.e., more difficult to bring to an end.

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