It's intimidating: The conflict is spreading

It's intimidating: The conflict is spreading

A record 183 regional and local armed conflicts are being waged in 2023, which is the highest number recorded in the last three decades.

The IISS study particularly highlights the role of non-state armed groups, such as Hamas in Gaza, and the support they receive from major powers such as Russia and Iran.

This intricate web of alliances and hostilities creates a complex landscape of global conflict.

Although it does not foreshadow an impending major war similar to the wars of the early 20th century, it does point to escalating tensions, especially between the US and China. History offers insight into current problems.

Europe's entry into the war in 1914 was partly the result of underestimating the conflict as a serious disaster. Some believe this sentiment is echoed in the actions of today's leaders.

Analysts from the British Institute cite the example of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his actions in Georgia, Crimea and Ukraine reflect a similar disregard for the potential catastrophic consequences of conflict.

IISS research suggests that resolving a conflict like the one in Ukraine would require security guarantees to preserve territorial integrity. The intensity of the conflict is increasing year after year, with deaths increasing by 14 percent and violent incidents by 28 percent in the latest survey.

The International Committee of the Red Cross catalogs 459 armed groups whose activities cause humanitarian concern, and 195 million people live under their total or partial control.

Border conflicts

The report notes that there are border conflicts around the world, in addition to the war in Ukraine, Azerbaijan's seizure of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which has precipitated the flight of more than 100,000 Armenians.

There are still tensions between Russia and Georgia, and there are also high tensions between Algeria and Morocco. Terrorism has escalated in Pakistan, and tensions with India's anti-Muslim government are dangerously high. The American continent was not spared from the conflict either. Criminal groups are gaining more and more power in many countries of South and Central America. The war on drugs that many governments have waged for decades has little impact on manufacturing or supply chains. The situation in Mexico is particularly frightening.

Ukraine is still, unsurprisingly, the most violent place on the planet, but Syria, Brazil, Myanmar, Mexico and Iraq also top the list.

Violence on the rise

More than 10,000 people were killed in the violence in Nigeria, and over 9,000 in Somalia.

The numbers of refugees displaced by the war are staggering: more than six million in Syria, five million in Afghanistan, one million in Myanmar.