I had as lief have a reed that will do me no service as a partisan I could not heave.

Up to now, the irenological perspective has only been dealt with in passing. Just as for polemology, irenology must be systematically pursued as a necessary complement to what has so far been the exclusively polemological orientation of research. Peace itself, and different forms of peaceful coexistence, must be subjected to a greater degree of systematic documentation and analysis.

For most of the past three decades, the natural world was treated almost as an afterthought by world leaders. If discussed at all, it was with platitudes about the need to save polar bears and tigers.

Growth was dampened by a softening of the global economy in 2001, but picked up in the subsequent years due to strong growth in China.