The end of the 1990s was hardly a peaceful world. Conflicts and insurgencies raged in the Caucasus, Myanmar, Afghanistan, the DRC, Somalia, Sudan, Colombia and elsewhere. But tensions had eased in the Balkans, Northern Ireland was beginning a peaceful transition, and the Cold War seemed to be receding into history.
So while few would argue that all looked rosy, there was some cautious optimism for the new century.
That changed dramatically in 2001. The 9/11 attacks were immediately followed by the start of then-US president George W Bush’s “war on terror”, with the US moving rapidly to terminate the Taliban regime and destroy al-Qaida in Afghanistan.
