One out of every 7 dollars spent in the U.S. is spent containing violence. Is this really how we want to measure America's success, how we want to develop as a society, and how we want to leave the world for our children and our children's children?

while President Barack Obama has mentioned that assault weapons belong in the hands of US soldiers and not on the streets of America, he has left it to Congress to move forward on an assault weapons ban. That's too bad because Congress isn't remotely close to doing anything.

The tragic Colorado theater shooting must stimulate a debate on more than mere gun control. Here's why.

Republican Sen. Richard Lugar joins the ranks this month of his ousted moderate colleagues and predecessors. Frankly, it is a little depressing. Wait, more than a little. A lot.

The U.S. Peace Index is based on analysis of homicide, violent crime, policing, incarceration rates and availability of small arms data. With improvements in all five of these indicators from the 2011 to the 2012 USPI, the U.S. was found to be more peaceful than at any time since 1991.

Politicians need to realize that in the pursuit of available funds, there are untapped dividends available where they may least suspect it. Increasing the peace not only improves quality of life but the economy as well.

The organization for which I work, the Institute for Economics and Peace, released a new report this week detailing the macroeconomic effects of U.S. ...

As the Republican candidates leave Nevada, one topic seems to have escaped their attention entirely: a credible economic cure for what ails the states where they're waging their campaigns for president.

I'm talking about the majority of businesses that perform better when poverty and violence is not prevalent. If financial incentives motivate politicos, then put some numbers on those dividends available from reducing violence.

Despite overwhelming data, policymakers are not in hot pursuit of the very policies that would increase the peacefulness, improve economic productivity, and cut costs across the board as we concurrently cut violence levels in this country.

America's tendency is to pursue policies that react primarily to violence, not aim to prevent it. As a result, not only is America less economically prosperous, it is less peaceful. The way forward, then, is to learn from what the index is telling us.