Max Roser's Chart: 600 Years of War and Peace →

Hat tip to Patrick Neal Russell Julius, who wrote this on Facebook:

The post-WW2 era is an unprecedented time of peace worldwide. It is often referred to by experts as 'The Long Peace or 'The Pax Americana'.

I think the reason why it seems like our military causes more problems than it solves is that most of the problems it solves are via deterrence, not intervention. The fights you *really* win are the ones that never happen.