The centenary of the outbreak of World War I on Aug. 4, 1914, has led to much debate about how to maintain peace in the 21st century. The Middle East remains in turmoil. In the Palestinian territories, Syria, Iraq and Libya there are many casualties and much misery.
The threat to peace in Europe from President Vladimir Putin's Russia continues to increase and tensions grow. Flight MH17 with nearly 300 passengers and crew was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile from an area of the Ukraine under the control of separatists, using an advanced system allegedly supplied by Russia. This war crime has caused huge resentment especially in countries whose nationals were slaughtered. The Dutch suffered the most, but there were significant numbers of passengers from Australia and Britain who died.
Putin probably did not instigate or specifically authorize the missile attack and was presumably embarrassed by it, but he and the Russian media controlled by his regime have responded with lies, bluster and obfuscation. International investigators were prevented from reaching the crash site while the wreckage was apparently systematically tampered with.