You don’t have to watch a lot of news to realize that the world is becoming more and more unstable. It seems that every day new wars arise somewhere on the globe, foreshadowing a bleak future, every time you see the growing tension between nations, the seemingly endless terrorist attacks, and the civil wars that intensify in various countries.

Currently, there are dozens of active armed conflicts around the world that have claimed the lives of thousands of people. According to the Institute for Economics and Peace, there were about 40 active armed conflicts in 2020.

The Syrian civil war is one of the deadliest conflicts of today. It began in 2011 following protests against the government of Bashar al-Assad and has caused more than 400,000 deaths and millions of displacements. Despite a ceasefire in some areas, fighting continues in Idlib and other areas.

The conflict in Yemen is another devastating war that has left more than 100,000 people dead. It began in 2014 when the Shiite Houthis took control of Sana’a, the capital, prompting the intervention of a Saudi-led coalition in support of the Yemeni government in its fight against the Houthis. The country has been divided and plunged into a severe humanitarian crisis, with millions of Yemenis on the brink of famine.

The war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022 and has led to the deaths of thousands of people and the displacement of millions of people.

The war in Afghanistan, which is the longest in U.S. history, the conflicts in Nigeria with Boko Haram, the war in Libya after the overthrow of Gaddafi, the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, and the violence in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

The control of natural resources, such as oil, gas, diamonds, gold, coltan or other minerals of strategic value. Religious and ethnic extremism represented in groups such as ISIS, Al Qaeda and Boko Haram, use violence to impose their beliefs. Poverty and inequality favor the use of violence, when desperation becomes a permanent way of life, without access to basic resources, such as water, food, medicine or education. The proliferation of small-caliber weapons, and the increase in the ease of traveling between territories, to join extremist groups, are some of the causes that motivate the appearance of war conflicts. These conflicts cause a large number of deaths, injuries and displaced people around the world, many times civilians, caught in the middle of the crossfire, who are forced to abandon their homes, communities, their jobs…, the efforts and memories of all. a life to save this, placing them in positions of extreme vulnerability

The political and social instability derived from armed conflicts slows down the economic development of countries. The destruction of infrastructure, the paralysis of productive activities and the collapse of foreign trade deepen the economic and food crisis. Resources that should be allocated to health, education or development projects are diverted to finance war efforts.

The clashes also erode democratic values and the rule of law, generating in many cases a decline in civil and political liberties, and an increase in corruption and impunity. The population lives under a climate of fear that favors authoritarianism.

What does the future hold?

Looking to the future, to reduce war conflicts in the world, the international community must continue to invest in diplomacy and mediation to prevent and resolve disputes between countries. High-level negotiations, such as UN-sponsored peace talks, are an effective way to create understanding and prevent the outbreak of wars.

To do this, governments must focus more on meeting the basic needs of their citizens, such as food, housing, education and employment.

Poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity often contribute to social and political instability that can lead to violent conflicts, investing in the well-being of the population is a smart strategy to build more peaceful societies.

Furthermore, the global community must pressure leaders around the world to hold accountable for human rights violations and war crimes, as impunity fuels armed conflict and violence.

International courts and economic sanctions are useful tools to hold perpetrators of atrocities accountable and deter others, in addition to being necessary to control the trafficking of small arms and light weapons that continually fuel many of the current conflicts, restrict the sale and distribution of these deadly weapons, especially to non-state actors, would help contain violence and save human lives.

The combination of diplomacy, development, justice and arms control can help change the upward trend of war conflicts in the world and even reverse it.

The increase in war conflicts leads to an increase in political tensions between countries neighboring those involved in these situations, in some cases involving third parties, bound by compliance with agreements or treaties of collaboration, defense or protection.

Unfortunately, there are many cases in which the outbreak of a conflict automatically aligns countries into ideological, religious or purely strategic blocks, increasing tensions between them and even causing the expansion and escalation of these conflicts, producing true catastrophes. humanitarian.

The increase in war conflicts leads to an increase in political tensions between countries neighboring those involved in these situations, in some cases involving third parties, bound by compliance with agreements or treaties of collaboration, defense or protection.

Unfortunately, there are many cases in which the outbreak of a conflict automatically aligns countries into ideological, religious or purely strategic blocks, increasing tensions between them and even causing the expansion and escalation of these conflicts, producing true catastrophes. humanitarian.