Alternatives to War by Colonel Dan Smith, USA (Ret.)

As 2004 began, FCNL registered 24 significant ongoing armed conflicts (1,000 or more deaths) and another 38 hot spots that could slide into or revert to war. The total number of actual conflicts is three more than the 1998 all-time low of 21 in the 15 years of this annual survey.

It is the second consecutive year with a large decrease (from 30 in 2003 and 38 in 2002). In addition to Washington's "world wide war on terror" (WWWT), the distribution by region of the remaining 23 significant armed conflicts in 2004 is as follows: Asia, 9; Africa, 7; Middle East, 3; Americas, 3; and Europe, 1.

• Introduction
• The "Global War on Terror"--Two Countries, Two Years
• South Asia
• East Asia
• Middle East
• Africa
• Europe
• The Americas
• Table of Ongoing Significant Conflicts
• Table of Low-level Political Violence or Conflicts in Suspension

This analysis was prepared by Col. Dan Smith, U.S. Army (Ret.). Dan, a West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran, is FCNL's Senior Fellow on Military Affairs.