The World's Most Peaceful Modern Nations
Monday, December 16, 2019
It would be hard to find a country, ancient or modern, that has never participated in a war of some sort. But there are some countries that seldom fight, or haven't fought for many years.
As one would suspect, small-ish countries, and those out of the main paths of conquest, are the least likely to become war-torn. The tiny Pacific island country of Vanuatu fits both of these conditions to a tee. Vanuatu's nearest neighbors lie hundreds of kilometers across vast expanses of open sea, and are themselves decidedly un-warlike. Although Vanuatu has a police force of 547 officers, it has no military per se, and no budget for one.
In 1974, the then-colonial government began pushing for independence. Followers of a local "cargo cult" objected, which gave rise to the only Vanuatuan fighting in recent memory, when a group of rebels fought against combined forces of Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.
This "Coconut War" seems to have lasted only a matter of weeks. The rebels were armed only with bows and arrows, and rocks propelled by slings. The conflict had few casualties, and came to an end when the rebel leader's son was killed while running a roadblock. The leader immediately surrendered, claiming he had never intended for anyone to get hurt.
Though there has been other unrest, this seems to be Vanuatu's only recent "war."
Other candidates for "The World's Most Peaceful Modern Nation":
Switzerland has remained famously neutral despite being at the center of the European theater during both World Wars. Their last armed conflict was a civil war in 1846 with fewer than 100 deaths and around 500 wounded.
Liechtenstein, like Switzerland, is a European country that escaped participation in both World Wars; like Vanuatu, it has no military budget, and has had none since 1868.
One would think that being located in Central America would drag Costa Rica into a scrap from time to time, but it has been conflict-free for seven decades. After the 44-day civil war in 1948--which cost 2,000 lives--the new constitution abolished a standing army.