Terribus, my little sweetheart, would I be wrong in assuming that the frightfully clever Professor Mack is talking about 'wars' in his report?
And that the phrase 'world a safer place' is not his phrase - it was written by whichever sub-editor slugged the precis written by by a reporter called Francis Harris in Washington.
As such, Prof Mack is merely saying that, up until 2003, there seemed to be fewer wars.
Acts of terrorism are another kettle of fish entirely, my little flower, as I'm sure you'd know.
Unless, of course, you are a brave little footsoldier in Bush's great legacy, 'the war against terror' - known to all of us in the Dingly Dell School for Strategic Studies as TWAT.
Are you proud to be a fellow TWAT?