ABSTRACT
In 2007 it was estimated that there were more than 29 armed conflicts occurring around the world involving 25 countries (Project Plowshares, 2007). Most armed conflicts take place in low-income countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) World Report on Violence and Health, 190 armed conflicts have occurred since the Second World War (WHO, 2002). Only a quarter of them were between states; the rest were within the states. Most of the conflicts were shorter than six months. Those that lasted longer went on for many years or are continuing (e.g. in Afghanistan, Angola, Colombia, Viet Nam, etc.). The total number of armed conflicts in progress was less than 20 in the 1950s, over 30 in both the 1960s and 1970s, and rose to over 50 during the late 1980s. After the 1980s, there was sharp increase of conflicts in Europe because of the collapse of communist regime in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. In general, the size and area of the conflict has changed radically in the past two centuries (WHO, 2002).
