abstract
- Throughout history, war and peace have been recurring topics for classical and contemporary authors. However, they are not finished subjects. Even if peace has been attained over some decades, it has not lasted because warlike conflicts can occur worldwide. This intricate interplay between peace and war, in which peace is not always so desired because war has benefits, is a fascinating area of exploration. This is why we will reflect on peace and war in a dependent manner: there is no peace without war, and there is no war without peace. This thought raises the following research question and the title of the manuscript: Is war necessary to live in peace? This question is paramount because it challenges conventional wisdom and opens new avenues for understanding war and peace dynamics. To address this issue, we will follow a robust prospective analysis of future years, tracing the warlike conflicts that have arisen. This meticulous methodology allows us to explore the possibility of an increasing wave of small wars within and among states. © 2025 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.