UN General Assembly
1985

It is becoming commonplace to hear the argument that at least relative peace has been preserved for a period of 40 years. The argument, I am afraid, is based on ostrich-like reasoning. It does not take into account the scores of wars fought over the past 40 years and the wars which are still being fought in many parts of the world. The fact that the territories o£ some countries, former battlefields, have mercifully been spared the horrors of war can hardly justify the assertion that the world has enjoyed 40 years of uninterrupted peace. There are, no doubt, those who believe that wars fought outside their own national territories are somehow not real and therefore are acceptable. There are also those who believe that wars are inevitable but that, like games, they can be controlled or limited. From their perspective, it would be desirable and possible to confine any actual fighting to certain areas, to limit its scope.