A global conflict is underway. It proceeds surreptitiously, step by step, by doses, like a poison. From one episode to the next, it gets worse. It is not yet a full-scale war, but it is approaching it at an accelerating pace. Eventually, the possibility of a world war involving direct military confrontation between large-scale belligerents looms large. This is a far cry from the legend of perpetual peace, the "peace di
