In 2017, conflicts raged around the world that destabilized entire countries and regions. And 2018 is unlikely to pass quietly and calmly. We present you the top 5 most dangerous conflicts in the world. The list is compiled on the basis of a survey of German citizens conducted by the German Sociological Institute YouGov.
5. Ukrainian conflict
The inhabitants of Ukraine can rejoice: they have not been forgotten in Germany. But the Germans remember the Ukrainians, alas, not in a positive way.
Despite periodic clashes along the line of contact between Ukrainian government forces and militias from the LPR and DPR, the resumption of large-scale fighting in the region has so far been avoided. Nevertheless, as long as most of eastern Ukraine remains in the hands of the authorities of the unrecognized republics, the potential for a resumption of civil war in this region remains.
Although the Trump administration has pulled back on the close support offered to Kiev during the Obama administration, an escalation of the conflict (or the collapse of the Kiev government) could threaten to draw Europe and the United States into the Ukrainian conflict.
4. Conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia
The leading Sunni and Shia Muslim countries of the world have long been fighting for power in the region. The stumbling block in 2017 for them was the hostilities in Yemen and Syria.
Iran is supporting the Houthi rebels in Yemen, against which the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is fighting.
And the Saudis are supporting the rebel Syrian forces and want to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, Iran's main ally.
Also, according to the assumptions of Iranian politicians, Saudi Arabia has a destabilizing effect on the situation in Lebanon. The Lebanese government includes the Shiite movement Hezbollah, which is supported by Tehran.
Riyadh's negative attitude towards Iran, apparently, is shared by the American president. Trump said that this country is not successful and it is time for a change. And what are the changes that the United States likes, the world has already seen on the examples of Libya, Iraq and Ukraine.
If a full-blown conflict breaks out between the world's first and fifth largest oil-producing countries, it will negatively affect the global economy. As they joke gloomily on the Internet forums, gasoline in Russia will rise in price again.
3. Middle East conflict
In the third place in the list of the most dangerous conflicts in 2018, participants in the YouGov poll placed the discord between Israel and Palestine, "firewood" in which the ubiquitous America threw.
At the end of 2017, US leader Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and decided to move his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Palestinians claim the eastern part of the Holy City. And the status of Jerusalem has long been one of the most important issues in Arab-Israeli relations.
While the Israeli prime minister expressed gratitude to Trump for "a courageous and just decision," the Palestinian authorities called the US action "crazy step" and refused to mediate Washington in peace talks to resolve Middle East problems.
Turkey, which supports the Palestinian Muslims, did not stand aside either. Its leader, Tayyip Erdogan, said that he did not rule out the severance of diplomatic relations with Israel.
The growing tension in the Middle East could turn into a new wave of refugees for Germany and other European states.
2. "Islamic State"
The organization banned in Russia, judging by the results of the survey, is very frightening for the Germans. Last November, the Syrian army, with the support of the Russian military, managed to take control of the last bastion of ISIS - the city of Abu Kemal. After that, thousands of militants spread to remote areas of Syria and Iraq, or fled abroad. This raises the threat of ISIS-related terrorist attacks in Europe, Russia and the Middle East.
And Zeit warns that many women and young militants who fought on the side of the Islamic State may soon return to Germany. According to the FRG authorities, about 960 Islamists left Germany for Syria and Iraq. And about a third of them are believed to have returned.
1. North Korean conflict
In the first place in the rating of the most dangerous world conflicts is the confrontation (fortunately, so far only in words) between the United States and North Korea.
Pyongyang does not show any intention to stop its missile tests and the development of nuclear weapons until it creates a weapon capable of striking not only near but also distant enemies (read - the United States).
This behavior by the North Korean leader could force the United States to launch military action by striking North Korea's missile and nuclear facilities. This will trigger a devastating conflict on the Korean Peninsula, in which China, Japan and other forces in the region may intervene.
To say that such a scenario of the development of events will have a great impact on the situation in the world is a very strong understatement. Most experts believe this could lead to some of the worst fighting since World War II.
Former CIA chief John Brennan, in an interview with The Atlantic, cited Donald Trump's unpredictability as an important factor affecting US-Korean relations. “I understand very well that North Korea does not want to initiate a major military conflict. And for many years, the United States has been reluctant to start a conflict, ”Brennan said. And he added that he did not know "what Mr. Trump is able to decide or do."
What conflicts did 2017 remember
The full-scale wars that took place in 2017 included:
- Syrian Civil War.
- Civil War in Afghanistan.
- Iraqi Civil War.
- Somali Civil War.
- Civil war in South Sudan.
- Civil war in Libya.
- Yemeni Civil War.
At the same time, there have been dozens of uprisings that took place around the world in 2017. Some of the most famous uprisings were:
- drug war in Mexico;
- the terror of the Boko Haram group in Nigeria and neighboring countries;
- conflict in northern Mali;
- conflict in the Central African Republic of the Congo;
- conflict between Kurdish militias and government forces from Turkey and Iraq.
Overall, it has been estimated that more than 100,000 people died directly as a result of these conflicts and riots in 2017, and millions of others were affected, directly or indirectly.