Recently, in the news regarding conflicts around the world, we mostly hear about Israel-Palestine and Ukraine-Russia. However, there are many other conflicts currently occurring that we do not hear as much about. For example, gang violence and instability in Haiti, civil war in Sudan, civil war in Myanmar, insurgency in the Sahel, War in Amhara, and more horrible conflicts.
There are various reasons why other conflicts may not be receiving the same level of attention. This may be due to certain conflicts being more localised and hence not having as much of an impact on certain parts of the World, or it may be because there is no clear “good” side and “bad” side. This may be further exacerbated when the news may not have as much of an incentive to post stories on such conflicts, hence further reducing the public’s knowledge of these conflicts.
So why should you be more aware of these events?
These events are very real, regardless of whether they do not receive as much attention. People are still suffering. Even if you can’t contribute to charities for the victims, or can’t spread awareness with much of an impact, it is still important to be aware.
The impact of these conflicts may seem localised, however, geopolitically and in the context of international relations many events are much more interconnected and influential than they may seem. Events can have cascade and ripple effects where they can cause wider and further disruptions in international relations. Eventually, these consequences may impact far more people. It is awful that local communities and populaces are being affected. These conflicts should be stopped and mitigated as early as possible. Simultaneously, this mitigation also involves preventing ripple effects.
Importantly, with more discourse on conflicts that may have been previously less talked and less publicised about, there may be more of an incentive, and pressure on governments to become more involved and take steps to mitigate the conflicts. Understanding the suffering of affected communities may prompt more people and organisations to take action as well.
Here are some resources to help you stay aware with what is happening:
Warographics - a YouTube channel run by Simon Whistler which covers a whole host of defence and conflict related events, including weekly “Situation Room” episodes where he covers in depth and analytically latest events.
Zeihan On Geopolitics - another YouTube channel, this one is run by geopolitical analyst Peter Zeihan, covers a range of geopolitical events, including conflicts and analyses them in depth.
Crisis Watch - CrisisWatch run by International Crisis Group, monitors and provides updates on over 70 conflicts and crises.
Global Conflict Tracker - run by the Council on Foreign Relations, they also monitor and provide a map tracking a range of different conflicts.