Military conflicts in the world

2023: The number of regional military conflicts in the world reached its highest in 30 years

In 2023, at least 183 regional military conflicts were recorded globally, the highest in three decades. This was reported in a report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London (IISS), which was released in early December 2023.

The document says that border clashes in 2023 occur around the world. In particular, Azerbaijan gained control over Nagorno-Karabakh. Tensions between Russia and Georgia, the authors of the study emphasize, remain, and between Algeria and Morocco it is "worse than ever." In Pakistan, "domestic terrorism" has intensified, while tensions with the Indian government are "becoming dangerously high."

The intensity of conflicts is growing from year to year: it is estimated that the number of deaths in 2023 increased by 14% on an annualized basis, and the number of cases of violence - by 28%. The authors of the study talk about the formation of a world landscape "dominated by increasingly intractable conflicts and armed violence." According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, there are 459 armed groups that have local or regional dominance globally in 2023. Approximately 195 million people live under their full or partial control. Moreover, about 80% of such groups have enough influence to collect money from citizens.

In America, most conflicts are caused by criminal rivalries, especially those involving the drug trade. Criminal groups are gaining more and more power towards the state in many countries in the region. The so-called war on drugs, which many governments have waged for decades, has little impact on the production and supply channels of illicit substances.^[1]

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