The endless litany of global conflicts have provoked some very dark thoughts from global publics, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos and sponsored by the Halifax Forum.
A full 83 percent said the world has become a more dangerous place and 62 percent of respondents said that a major war involving superpowers, similar in scope to the World Wars, is likely in the next 25 years.
Conviction that WW III is on the horizon is strongest in the United States, with 78 percent of respondents saying it was strongly or somewhat likely. Among other potential great power combatants, 62 percent of Russians and 57 percent of Chinese saw a major conflict as likely over the next 25 years. Short of a major world war, 51 percent of respondents believed that their country entering into a major armed conflict was a real threat.
Not surprisingly, Ipsos also found that a majority of global respondents (57 percent) thought defense spending needed to increase to cope with global dangers.
It's useful to point out that the public's perception of the global security environment doesn't necessarily correspond to reality. More objective measures of the global security situation show that we are living in an age of unprecedented peace and security.
Of course, a World War III-style conflagration could rapidly reverse this progress, but until then, it's useful to keep our heads.