56 guerre nel mondo panoramica

Overview of the 56 ongoing conflicts in the world: is it really the “piecemeal third world war”?

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As reported by organizations such asACLED and it IEDare currently underway around the world 56 conflicts – the highest number from Second World War – involving directly or indirectly at least 92 countriesincluding Italy, and which have forced further 100 million people to migrate, both internally and abroad, to escape violence. Furthermore, in the last five years, the violent episodes or events associated with conflict situations have almost doubled, going from over 104,000 in 2020 to almost 200,000 in 2024 (of which half represented by bombings). These events caused over 233,000 deaths in the solo 2024an estimate which, unfortunately, is most likely downward. The situation is so precarious that for years various analysts and important people, for example the Pope, have been talking about one “third world war in pieces”. In the video above and, more briefly, in the following article, we do one overview of the situation.

56 wars underway in the world
Map with the main countries currently experiencing conflicts or violent clashes in the world. The darker the color, the higher the number of victims has been in recent years. Credits: Futuretrillionaire

The causes of current wars

The causes of the escalation of violence in the world and of the progressive militarization of many states are multiple, but two key elements are represented by technological changes and by the increase in global geopolitical competition. The military use of technologies such as drones – grew by more than 1,400% since 2018 – and improvised explosive devices have made it easier and cheaper for non-state groups to conduct significant attacks. In Yemen, for example, the rebels Houthis have used these technologies to challenge major powers such as the United States and its allies, but the use of such tools is evident in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

In parallel, the transition from a unipolar world, dominated by the USA, to a multipolar world contributed to the proliferation of conflicts. There relative weakness of the USAtheir internal divisions, their inability to intervene in different quadrants, in fact, has allowed countries and armed groups that before would never have dared to move, to become active and wage war or to attack other states or other regional realities. Plus powers like China, Russia And Türkiyeto name a few, are increasingly seeking to influence conflict-affected areas to try to create their own increasingly extensive network of alliances. At the same time, theEuropean Unionan emblem of peace after the Second World War, it seems unable to project its influence to prevent or stop wars.

The main ongoing conflicts in the world

Among the main current conflicts, we find the war in Palestinewhere there have been since 2023 over 50,000 victimsespecially in the Gaza Strip. Israel has stepped up its use of force in response to attacks by Hamasaiming to strengthen its military position in the Middle East and weaken regional enemies, including Hezbollah el’Iran. The latter is in a precarious situation, both domestically and internationally, aggravated by the recent regime change in Syriawhich saw the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

In Ukrainethe conflict is now in its third year and continues to be the deadliest in the world. Russia is gaining ground to negotiate with Trump’s United States from a position of strength, but likely future talks remain extremely complex.

In Myanmar Almost 200 different armed groups are active, often linked to local ethnic groups. In Pakistan 2024 was one of the most violent years of the last decade, with worsening security, especially along the border withAfghanistan. In Africa, regions like the SahelThe Sudan and the Horn of Africa they are the scene of conflicts between jihadist groups, Russian mercenaries and other paramilitary entities. In Latin Americasituations of extreme precariousness persist in countries such as Haiti, Venezuela And Mexicowhere drug cartels continue to diversify their illicit activities.

Future prospects

In summary and to conclude, the growing number of conflicts and countries involved in clashes is alarming. The proliferation of armed groups, the use of new technologies, increased military spending and geopolitical instability are increasing violence against civilians and the risk of more extensive wars is increasingly higher (without necessarily resulting in a Third World War). Without a common effort towards peace, the prospects for the future therefore remain bleak.