How Is Conflict Changing?

Throughout history, people have fought countless wars for countless reasons. Sometimes governments battle to seize another’s territory or resources. In other instances, compatriots fight to change their government or to form an independent country.

Although many of those drivers of conflict have stayed the same for thousands of years, the nature of conflict is changing. For example, wars between countries have declined since the end of World War II. That trend, however, does not mean we’re living in peaceful times, as wars within countries have become much more common. And although history books tell stories of soldiers fighting on battlefields, many modern conflicts are taking place in densely populated cities or in new settings such as cyberspace.