Global Conflict Landscape: Highest Number of Wars since the End of World War II
Global conflicts reaching an all-time high post-World War II, as per research findings.
Hey there! Let's talk about the latest on the global conflict scene. Last year alone, we saw a whopping 61 wars and armed conflicts across 36 countries - the highest since the end of World War II!
According to a report by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Africa was the most affected continent, with 28 conflicts followed by Asia with 17, the Middle East and Gulf region with ten, Europe with three, and North and South America with two. Intriguingly, several countries experienced multiple conflicts at the same time.
The death toll, while roughly the same as the previous year, was not something to cheer about. The Ukraine conflict, Gaza conflict, and fighting in the Tigray region of Ethiopia accounted for a significant portion of the casualties.
As the lead author, Siri Aas Rustad, pointed out, the world is becoming increasingly violent and fragmented. With the US potential withdrawal from global engagements, a policy dubbed "America First," Rustad warned against turning our backs on the global stability built since 1945.
Now, let's take a quick peek at the ongoing conflict trends for the upcoming years, 2023-2025. The world is witnessing a cluster of high-intensity conflicts, primarily civil wars and regional confrontations involving state and non-state actors. Some key locations to watch out for include Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Latin America/Caribbean region.
In Africa, the Sudan civil war and the intensification of the DRC’s conflict with M23 rebels have created severe humanitarian crises. The Middle East has seen the escalation of the Israel-Hamas war and a renewed civil strife in Syria. Asia has seen deadly ethnic clashes in India’s Manipur state and Myanmar’s military government's intensified attacks against rebel groups. Lastly, Haiti is experiencing near-total destabilization due to gang violence.
Sources: ntv.de, AFP. Additional insights about global conflict trends since WWII and from the past two years can be found in the enrichment data below.
Since WWII, global conflicts have evolved from large-scale wars between states to a pattern of regional and internal wars, with non-state actors playing a central role.Over the past two years, the number of active conflicts has remained steady, with hotspots in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and the Caribbean.
Enrichment Data:- Since World War II, global conflict trends have shifted towards intrastate conflicts, insurgencies, and wars involving non-state actors due to the rise in proxy conflicts during the Cold War, decolonization struggles, and an increase in civil wars, ethnic and religious-based conflicts, and terrorism.- From the 1990s until now, the number of active armed conflicts has remained high but rarely exceeded the peak seen during the 1990s.- For the past two years, a persistent cluster of high-intensity conflicts has continued, many of which are civil wars or regional confrontations involving state and non-state actors.- In addition to the conflicts mentioned in the base article, several conflict zones have seen increased violence or new flare-ups, notably in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and parts of South Asia.
In light of the escalating global conflict landscape, it's crucial for various communities to address their policies in response. The ‘Community policy’ should consider strategies to support those affected by war-and-conflicts in local areas, especially considering that last year saw the highest number of wars since the end of World War II.
Moreover, in politics, the employment policy should be adapted to cater to the significant increase in displaced people seeking employment as a result of these conflicts. Given the ongoing and anticipated conflicts primarily in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the Latin America/Caribbean region, it's essential to prioritize the employment of these refugees within these regions to mitigate their hardships.
