COLLECTIVE SECURITY

 Goal: Nations agree to take a collective action against aggressors. In theory, an aggressor will not start a war if that means fighting the combine forces of many nations.

Limitations: The threat of retaliation does not guarantee peace. Nations do not always abide by their commitments, nor do they agree on how and when to act against aggressors. 

   "Although collective security . . . played a prominent part in the League of Nations Covenant and is embodied in the United Nations Charter, it has completely failed in both cases." - "Encyclopedia Britannica."

What the Bible says: There is often safety in numbers. (Ecclesiastes 4:12) However, we cannot look to human institutions for lasting peace and security. " Don't put your trust in human leaders; no human being can save you. When they die, they return to the dust; on that day all their plans come to an end." -PSALM 146:3, 4. Today's English Version.

Despite the concerted efforts of many to achieve lasting peace, we are still plagued by war.

Is the word becoming more peaceful?

There are some people who claim that the world is actually more peaceful now than ever before. They saw that the  wars fought today are shorter and less deadly and that compared to previous centuries, a smaller percentage of the total population die in battle. Others, however, questions such comparisons and the statistics used to support them.

Regardless of what some may say, there can be no denying that war and violent conflict directly affect a huge portion of the world's population today and indirectly affect all of us.

Next time: How War and Conflict Will End

From the jw.org publications