Dr Baljeet analyses the causes of unending worldwide conflicts in this erudite write-up – exclusively for Different Truths.

A casual glance all around can convince anyone that deadly and unending conflicts mark the world at large. Life is thus becoming hell on this planet with each passing day because of these protracted battles. These consume human lives and other living organisms, endangering the entire life-sustaining natural ecosystem. Their ambit includes countries that are at variance with each other on political and economic terms. Besides, they also make inroads into countries at their level, which are homes to different ethnic communities whose interests clash with each other. This is particularly true in the case of minorities who feel threatened by the majority.

Wars were undoubtedly fought in primitive and earlier times, too. Still, their pace and intensity of destruction have increased manifold in modern times, particularly with the dawn of the twentieth century. During the first half of that century, the world was rocked by two catastrophic wars of colossal magnitude. The first lasted from 1914 to 1918 and concluded with the Treaty of Versailles of 1919. The Treaty stipulated an enormous war indemnity on Germany, accusing it of war. All its important territories and offshore colonies were wrested, and its army was crippled by the victors, rendering it incapacitated to raise its head again. But then, it was difficult for a powerful country like Germany to pull on this extreme humiliation for a long time.

Against this backdrop, Hitler assumed the reins of power, promising the Germans to regain their dignity. He soon began to repudiate the treaty’s terms and wrest lost territories. His invasion of Poland on 1^st October 1939 triggered the Second World War- more devastating and destructive than the first. The nuclear bombing by the USA of two Japanese cities of, Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 brought an end to this ugly, monstrous war with incalculable loss.

Besides these two epic wars, there were conflicts between India and Pakistan in 1948, 1965, 1971, and 1999 (Kargil war) and India and China in 1962.

In the 21^st century, we witness destruction in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and, more recently, Ukraine. Intermittent battles have occurred between the Palestinians and Israelis since the latter half of the twentieth century. This list of international wars seems endless.

 As far as the internal conflicts of countries at their level are concerned, there are many. History is replete with such examples. To mention a few prominent are:

On the eve of independence in India, violent communal clashes occurred between Muslims on one side and Hindus and Sikhs on the other. Hundreds of thousands were mercilessly killed, soaked in a religious frenzy on both sides and millions of destitute crossed the borders. Such horrible carnage was hardly witnessed in the annals of history before.

Then six million Jews became victims of Hitler’s tyranny during World War11. Because the latter considered the Jews the root cause of German suffering and hated them most on that account, this systematic genocide of the European Jews by the Nazi regime in Germany has infamously been called the Holocaust.

In Sri Lanka, the civil war between the Sinhalese-dominated government and the Tigers Liberation of Tamil Elam continued for almost three decades from 1983 to 2009, resulting in the suppression of Tamils and the death of 70000 people.

Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, have been fighting since 2014 against the Yemen government for their survival. Similarly, Kurdish Muslims struggle against the Turkish government to attain independence.

Rohingyas are suffering at the hands of the ‘Military Junta’ government of Myanmar. About seven hundred thousand had recently crossed the border to take asylum in Bangladesh.

Hardly two years back, in the USA’ Black Lives Matter’ movement surged against the atrocities and racial discrimination of African American communities at the hands of the white supremacist government of former president Donald Trump.

More conflicts are raging in most Arabian countries, particularly between Shia and Sunni Muslims, taking a heavy toll on humans.

Then why nations go to war and why internal conflicts occur in many countries are questions to be answered comprehensively. The following points are worth mentioning in this context:

1.     Excessive greed for expansion: Most powerful Nations, economically and militarily, such as the USA, China, England, France, and Germany, are obsessed with the desire to dominate geopolitics and become stronger. This insatiable desire for expansion makes them restive. For instance, the African continent became a victim of their lust in the eighteenth century. Many European countries pounced on its various regions as vultures on the carcass and divided it among themselves. But this scramble for Africa strained their relations and prepared the pitch for battles among them in future. More recently, the USA intervened in internal conflicts of many West Asian countries and Afghanistan to establish its sphere of influence. China is flexing its muscles in Hong Kong, Taiwan and in South-China Sea. Russia is bent on annexing Ukraine.

2.     Mad race for armaments: In a bid to become more potent than others, most countries hoard deadly arms and ammunition. There has been a substantial increase in the defence budgets of various nations in recent times. Some of them have become nuclear powers. This mad race for armaments has pushed the world on edge. Such is the devastating power of modern weaponry: life can end in moments by pressing a trigger or button.

3.     Arms trade: America, China and Russia are the biggest exporters of arms in the world today. This lucrative business adds substantive revenue to their economies. Naturally, they would like it to flourish, which fetches them millions of dollars and is the pillar of their economies. This business makes leaps and bounds in the era of conflicts.

4.     Vindictive attitude: Many times, the powerful nations’ Revengeful attitude leads to disastrous wars. Germany, for instance, was held accountable for the First World War by the victors, and so harsh punishment was given to it as terms of the Treaty of Versailles testify. This vengeful treatment infuriated Germany, and the latter repudiated all its terms imposed forcibly on it under the leadership of Hitler. This ultimately led to the Second World War.

5.     Identity crisis: Minorities, whichever country they inhabit, feel insecure under the majoritarian regime. Fundamentalists of both majority and minority communities keep instigating their people by exploiting their religious feelings, thus preparing the ground for internal conflicts.

6.     Failure of the United Nations: United Nations Organization was formed after the Second World War in 1945 to maintain international peace by restraining nations from going to war. But in recent times, it has lost its influence to a great extent. Countries like China, Russia, Iran, and Afghanistan hardly follow their resolutions.

Given this backdrop, it seems the conflicts would continue to wreak destruction making this life-sustaining planet a hell. Science-driven modern technology to make life comfortable and enjoyable is only helpful if there is a change in the mindset of the political and religious leaders at the helm of affairs. They must develop respect for the world institutions meant to maintain peace in the world, cooperate for the welfare of humanity and restrain their greed for power.

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Dr Baljeet Singh Virk

Baljeet Singh Virk is a retired Associate Professor of History, from the Government Mohindra College, Patiala, Punjab

See Full Bio