Using a number of statistics and observations, Gurr began his lecture by discussing global trends in national conflict, and proceeded to outline his methods for analyzing political crises, and discussed how to combat such problems. He displayed a number of graphs depicting the number of violent conflicts in the world over the last fifty years, which have, contrary to popular belief, been on the decline over the last decade. International tensions had been steadily on the rise until the end of the Cold War, after which such tribulations swiftly diminished in number. For example, the two military campaigns Russia has launched against Chechnya have received a great deal of coverage, but the forty peaceful agreements Russia has made to appease Chechnya's demands for autonomy have gone virtually unmentioned by the media. All too often, noted Gurr, ethnic issues and political issues are thought to be synonyms, but this is not so.
Ethnic concerns are primarily in order to advance the interests of an ethnic or a religious group.
Political issues transcend ethnic and political lines, and deal mainly with matters pertaining to the government. Political issues plague every country, but destructive rebellions in developing nations tend to decline once democracy comes to that country. Conflict doesn't end with democracy, however. Protests increased as democracy came to a country, but such protests were in a far more peaceful vein, as citizens utilized their new civil rights. Recognize the right of regional minorities to sub-state autonomy.