"My thought is perhaps this is not a time for them to consider a major invasion of Taiwan," she continued, and reasonable people across the planet prayed she's right.

"This is largely because of the economic, financial and political challenges, but also because the international community has made it loud and clear that war is not an option, and that peace and stability serves everyone's interest."

War, of course, is always an option.

And peace and stability do not serve everyone's interest, they serve almost everyone's interest.

For the few, war is lucrative. Which is why conflict features so prominently in human history. After a brief respite in hostilities, the war in Gaza resumed. Fighting continues unabated in Ukraine. And mankind's enduring struggle to tame nature showed no sign of material advance. That said, the UAE announced a $30bln climate fund in partnership with Blackrock, Brookfield, and TPG. The hope is to leverage this sum to attract $250bln in investment by 2030, with an increasing focus on the Global South, which stands to suffer most profoundly in this war.