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There are around 200 countries in the world, and several times more national, ethnic and tribaltribaltribal groups. Countries and groups have their interests and goals – either shared or divergentdivergentdivergent. If the interests and values are shared, countries and groups cooperate with each other. And if the goals are divergent, a conflict may appear.

Sources of armed conflicts

The cause of conflicts is the divergence of interests and goals of the parties involved. However, not every divergence of interests leads to an armed conflict. An armed conflict occurs, when the parties are unable or unwilling to reconcileto reconcilereconcile peacefully. The sources are usually economic, political or ideological. Often, conflicts have a complexcomplexcomplex character, i.e. there are many causes of their outbreakoutbreakoutbreak. For example the conflicts in Africa are typically territorial, religious and ethnic at the same time. The artificialartificialartificial, postcolonial character of state borders, dividing nationalities and tribes, is a serious source of conflicts on the continent. Economic factors occupy an important place among the causes of conflicts. They include access to fossil fuelsfossil fuelsfossil fuels or even drinking water. Ideological and religious factors are also significantsignificantsignificant sources of armed conflicts. The ideological factor was an underlying cause for many conflicts during the Cold War. A current example could be the religious background of the Israeli‑Arab conflict in the Middle East. The reasons for conflicts can also be tracedto tracetraced to external interferenceexternal interferenceexternal interference, armaments or the aspirations of regional powers for domination.

Scale and geography

In the years 1945–1983 there were over 150 wars in which over 80 countries were involved. Statistics show that there were 12 armed conflicts per year. According to some experts, since the end of second world war, the longest period without any conflict was 26 days. Others say that it was only 2–4 days. Until 1991, the number of armed conflicts increased to 180.

Currently, most conflicts take place in Asia and Africa. In these areas conflicts are very bloody and it is extremely difficult to solve them. In Asia, these are mainly disputes and conflicts between states, often of a territorial nature (e.g. conflict over Kashmir) and bloody civil wars (e.g. civil war in Syria). In the Middle East, the main concernconcernconcern is the conflict between Israel and the Arab states and Palestine. Conflicts of interests of the United States, Russia and China make it difficult to solve these problems with the participation of the United Nations.

In Africa armed conflicts are mostly civil wars. They are characterized by a large number of fighting parties, and the main victims are civilians. Inter‑tribalinter‑tribalInter‑tribal and inter‑faith disputes prevailto prevailprevail on the continent. In the 21st century, there were wars, among others, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan or Chad. The object of disputes and conflicts in Africa is often the access to raw materials. Other extremely serious sources of violence in Asian and African countries are terrorism and radical Islamism. In comparison to disputes and conflicts in Asia and Africa, South America and North America seem to be quiet continents. Over the past dozen or so years, there have been no intra‑nationalintra‑nationalintra‑national or international conflicts in Europe. However, not more than a few decades ago, there were problematic areas in Europe, too – for example the separatistseparatistseparatist movement in Northern Ireland or the bloody war between the former Yugoslavian states.

Consequences of armed conflicts

One of the most serious consequences of armed conflicts is population loss. It is difficult to estimateto estimateestimate how many people on a global scale were killed in them. However, the number of civilian casualties is systematically increasing. In the first world war, civilians accounted for 5% of human losses, in the second world war – 50%, and in some ethnic conflicts in Africa, these losses amountto amount toamount to as much as 80–85%. Negative consequences of armed conflicts also include social pathologies (e.g. drug addiction or increasing tendency to aggression), participation of children in armed conflicts (so‑called child soldiers), uncontrolled migrations, excessiveexcessiveexcessive armament, destruction, economic recession or attempts to manufacture weapons of mass destruction. One of the most dramatic consequences of armed conflicts is the growing wave of refugees. An increasing number of people are fleeing to Europe seeking protection from bloody wars, poverty and hunger. It causes numerous problems and fears. International law guarantees basic assistance to refugees, for example they must not be expelledto expellexpelled to countries where they are in danger.

Social, political and economic effects of armed conflicts

For centuries, war has been an internationally accepted way of settling disputes between states. Only in the 20th century did the states ban the use of force in international relations. They have also established international organizations that are responsible for maintaining international peace and security. These actions, however, did not preventto preventprevent all wars, or even the wars of a global nature. Differences in interests, territorial disputes, the struggle for domination in the region, the struggle for resources or ethnic problems are just some of the causes of the ongoing conflicts. However, there is still hope, that in the future states instead of waging warto wage warwaging war, will increasingly undertake peaceful methods of resolving disputes, such as negotiations or international courts.

Keywords

war, armed conflict, civil war, international dispute

Glossary