World on Fire: wars are back
The number of conflicts and wars is increasing day by day. On the other hand, the last international peace agreement was mediated in 2005, more than a decade ago. Almost all UN-led peace processes have collapsed or are on the way to.
Just in the past 2-3 years, a shocking number of armed conflicts have started, renewed or escalated. We have never seen this number of conflicts at any time since the end of the Cold War. Almost every country is directly or indirectly associated with one or several conflicts.
Last November, in an article by The Atlantic called this situation as Not a World War but a World at War. The article delves into a notable surge in armed conflicts globally over the past couple of years. These conflicts span regions like Palestine, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Eastern Congo, Sudan, Tigray and the list goes on.
And Israel’s recent strike on Iranian Consulate in Damascus and further exchanges of fire between Iran and Israel have created another possible warzone. North Korea’s demolition of the “Arch of Reunification” and Kim’s threats of war are also concerning to many. And China’s military exercise in the South China Sea with an intensifying focus on Taiwan is nothing new.
Liberal World Order is failing
In the post-World War II era, the system of liberal world order was established. And it arose from a deep desire for peace and harmony from the horror of a distractive war. The belief behind creating this order was to establish some clear rules and regulations that all nations should abide by, and only by that peace and prosperity could be achieved. This ideology was led by USA, which led to the establishment of institutions like UN, World Bank, WTO, IMF, GATT. But because of the west-soviet ideological cold war, the major powers often clashed and created a gridlock in the UN.
After the collapse of USSR, the UN was at its peak, and the liberal world order was truly started to rise to prominence. The world for the first time was a unipolar system. Every proxy conflict that could be resolved was resolved.
But nowadays we are witnessing the number of conflicts and wars increasing again. Largely because the liberal world order is failing.
World’s changing polarity
We are close to unipolar world order now than ever before. One of the liberal world institutions, WTO has always tried to keep countries in its place. But some countries like China refused to do only labor-oriented work and have been establishing corporations that built products from start to finish. China is trying to rig the rigged game in its own way.
Other countries like Russia, India, Iran, Turkey are also trying to show their strength. They don’t like or believe in US doing global policing. They also want their own interests to be fulfilled.
Countries like China and Russia got back into the UN table with their own interest and created another deadlock in the UN Security Council.
Western failure
Many also argue that the liberal world mainly failed because of US and its ally’s hypocrisy. In the current unipolar system, many times US and western interest overshadows the willingness to achieve peace.
Their multiple wars for monetary gains or other injustice interests, violating almost all conceivable norms of international law, are reasons behind these failures. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have also demonstrated the limitations of the US powerhouse.
Rise of nationalism (modern populism)
Nationalism is the biggest weapon of strong man leaders. Some leaders believe in that, and some just use them to get into power. Populism or so-called “nationalism” is on the rise and almost every country has a populist leader in power or in opposition now.
And almost anything can be justified in the name of nationalism. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or Israel’s genocide in Gaza, almost anything and everything can be justified in the name of “the right to protect.”
Condemnation over resolving
The politicians who are not populists have also shifted their stance. Instead of finding a way to mitigate conflict in a far-flung region of the world, the tension has instead shifted to how to deal with the consequences of the conflict. Policymakers often prioritize short-term measures to prevent escalation, stabilize regions, and manage humanitarian crises. These measures may not address underlying issues. The peace talks are now more about containment rather than resolving conflicts.
Peace is not profitable!!
Nobody wins in war, without the weapon manufacturers. Once weapons were manufactured to fight wars, but now wars are manufactured to sell weapons.
The Industrial Revolution marked a seismic shift in the production of arms. Factories churned out rifles, cannons, and warships at an unprecedented pace. The marriage of industry and warfare birthed the military-industrial complex — a symbiotic relationship between governments. They use their money to use the government in their own interest.
World at War
Today our world is at a war, and these wars can bring a World War closer. Either we solve our problems together or we suffer together. In today’s interconnected world, every conflict carries weight. Our collective “we don’t care” attitude must be challenged. Our current global world order is failing, so we have to take a backstep and look at the world from a different perspective.
Major Sources:
Power and liberal order: America’s postwar world order in transition by G. John Ikenberry
Bound to Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Liberal International Order by John J. Mearsheimer
The World America Made — and Trump Wants to Unmake — POLITICO Magazine
The Roots of Modern Nationalism and the Populist Backlash from Pew Research Center
The Political Economy of the Origins of the Military-Industrial Complex in the United States by Ben Baack and Edward Ray
