Last year recorded 61 interstate armed conflicts, including 11 wars, more than in any year of World War II, according to researchers from the Swedish Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP). Civilians were particularly vulnerable, not only as collateral damage but also as deliberately targeted victims. Nearly 70,000 people worldwide died due to organized violence, the fifth highest number of casualties in recent decades. Among the conflicts are territorial wars such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, conflicts in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, and Syria. Although the number of conflicts increased, the death toll was somewhat lower than in the extremely bloody year of 2022. Researchers highlight that 48% of the victims were civilians, and the number of civilians deliberately killed increased by 31% compared to the previous year. The terrorist group Islamic State was responsible for the largest number of these deaths, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Political Perspectives:
Left: Left-leaning sources emphasize the human cost of the conflicts, focusing on the deliberate targeting of civilians and the humanitarian crises resulting from the wars. They highlight the role of global powers in perpetuating conflicts and call for increased international cooperation to protect civilians and resolve conflicts peacefully.
Center: Center-leaning sources report the facts about the increase in armed conflicts and casualties, providing balanced coverage of the various conflicts worldwide. They focus on the statistical data from credible research institutions like UCDP and stress the complexity of modern conflicts, including territorial disputes and terrorism, without assigning blame to specific actors.
Right: Right-leaning sources tend to emphasize the security threats posed by terrorist groups such as the Islamic State and the challenges of maintaining national and global security. They highlight the need for strong military responses and border security to combat terrorism and insurgency, often framing the conflicts in terms of law and order and national sovereignty.