HIGHLIGHTS:
- Conflicts that can give rise to World War 3
- Different Allies and their agendas
- Civil War & Proxy War – The beginning of WW3
- Tensions between World Powers and other countries
In the current scenario, our world is on the verge of World War 3. Look at what’s happening in the world we live, we might be feeling peaceful inside the four walls but the moment we turn on the news, we see what’s really going on. Below are some of the events that occurred in near-past, but my main focus for today will be ‘The Syrian War’, and how the Syrian War can turn into the World War 3 in no time.
First, let’s take a look at the harrowing events that occurred in near-past or what is still happening in the present as we are doing the daily chores in our life. In the end, I will be connecting all the dots.
Pakistan V/S India
Since the partition of British India in 1947 and creation of modern states of India and Pakistan, the two South Asian countries have been involved in several wars, including one undeclared war, and many border skirmishes and military stand-offs. The Kashmir issue has been the main cause, whether direct or indirect, of all major conflicts between the two countries with the exception of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 where conflict originated due to turmoil in Bangladesh. Even in 2017, Pakistan violating ceasefire is nothing new for us. The conflicts between the two nations have significantly increased due to the condition of Jammu & Kashmir & several other issues including Kulbhushan Jadav’s death sentence. Modi’s govt. has also taken their firm stand by conducting Surgical Strike and by filling petition in ICJ for Jadav.
Israel V/S Palestine
The conflict between the Israelis and the Arabs has been in existence for decades over the land of Gaza and West Bank. After World War 2 and the Holocaust, Jewish people wanted their own country. Thus, they were given a large part of Palestine, which they considered home due to the geographical importance of that place. The Arabs did not accept this and felt that it was unfair and they did not accept the new country. Whether the conflict is due to land or terrorist, these two countries still have not come in terms of each other. Since 2005, when Israel left its control over Gaza, the conflict between the Hamas and the Israeli government has increased rapidly. Both sides were accused of using violence and brutal attacks against each other. Rockets and bombs have become a part of their routine. More than 4000 Palestinians lost their lives in several operations conducted by Israel and many Israelis lost their lives in attacks from the other side. The conflict looks never ending as years are passing by. Life in Gaza is no less than a turmoil. Other countries, especially America tried to solve the conflict but even they failed to prevail a peace treaty.
North Korea- The dictator country V/S the World.
There is no doubt serious tensions between the world and North Korea is growing every day. North Korea is a dictator country where even basic human rights are at stake. They have been in the light since the Korean war as more and more serious human rights offences are being reported. The UN and several other countries have opposed their occupation but they remain unchanged. No sign of freedom can be found there. Life is dictated by the president. There have been several controversies about the mistreating of civilians in the state. They are an antagonist rouge state and scourge in the world and they blatantly state that they are not concerned about the world opinion.
Even if North Korea do not break in a civil war, it is still endangered by the risk of getting involved in a war with neighbouring countries. They are in constant conflict with Japan, South Korea, China, USA etc. Recently they showcased some gimmicks by testing several nuclear bombs and Kim Un, Supreme Leader of North Korea is pretty obsessed with its military. He is a harsh ruler and he has secluded itself from the world.
USA V/S Russia
US-Russia relations have deteriorated intensely due to a barrage of accusations and disagreements. There are several reasons of this outcry, some of which are issues ranging from the countries competing military operations in Syria, disputes over escalating cyber breaches and Eastern European independence. From Cold War, it has evolved to a conflict where proxy wars are the weapons. The friction between Moscow and Washington has increased after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Whether it is the difference in ideologies or the quest for power, both countries do not want to ebb the tensions anytime soon.
China and its troubled relations with the neighbours
China has many border conflicts with its neighbouring countries like India, Mongolia, Russia, Japan, Vietnam, Tajikistan etc. China is known for its harsh communist rule and ruthless acts against its own people. China has colonised many small neighbouring countries by force, claiming their historical ownership on the land like Tibet, China occupied Arunachal Pradesh which they call Southern Tibet etc. The actions of China has raised questions from United Nations but it remains rigid on their decisions and they refuse to accept any interference from the outside powers. Many countries allege China of using increasingly assertive behaviour towards its neighbours. If a WW3 breaks out, China will certainly not be quiet, it might make use of the situation and it may join forces against the USA to show its power and domination.
PROXY-WAR OF SYRIA (THE CENTRE FOR WW3)
Syria’s war is a mess in the current scenario. Even after 6 years, nothing much has changed but got worst day by day. The conflict is between four sides in Syria with foreign backers and those foreign backers don’t even agree with each other about who is fighting who. It has become a battleground for foreign powers to showcase their abilities. After nearly six years of fighting, an estimated 500,000 people killed, and some 12 million migrated as refugees. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appears likely to maintain power for now, but even with foreign backing his forces cannot end the war and regain total control. It all started with peaceful protests in Syria against its president in 2011 which turned into a civil war between the rebels and the Syrian government. Many extremists and terrorists joined the rebels to fight against the dictatorship of Assad. In 2012, the civil war turned into a Proxy war when Iran intervenes on the behalf of Assad. On the other hand, the Gulf states and Turkey intervened from the side of the Rebels. Both of them supported their respective allies by sending in troops and weapons to fight the other. Hizbullah, a terrorist group backed by Iran invaded to fight the rebels. Seeing this the rebel’s allies started sending more weapons and money. Even Jordan joined in support of the rebels. By the end of 2013, middle east turned into a battleground between Sunni power supporting Rebels and Shia powers supporting Assad. When Assad used chemical weapons against its own civilians, USA and Russia intervened due to the growing atrocities in Syria. Though both USA and Russia have different ideologies as far as Syria is concerned. The USA supports Rebels and Russia supports Assad. With the intervention of USA and Russia, the war turned into a conflict of power dispute. Soon as the months followed in conflict, another terrorist organisation originated after being separated from the rebels, they called themselves the Islamic State of Iraq & Syria(ISIS). Another opposition of Assad is the Kurds. Syria is now facing a conflict with confusing and unclear allies. Recent incidents like the chemical attack, the US airstrike, the fall of Aleppo etc are just stances which give a clear idea of what is happening in the world.
Many countries like Iraq, Somalia, Libya, Afganistan, Balochistan, Tibet and much more are either struggling from civil war or proxy war. They make headlines every now and then.
Another reason that can break world war 3 is the increasing terrorism, many extremists have their own agenda to throw out the government. Many terrorist groups are involved in crimes, drug trafficking etc. The biggest controversies that surround the big powers of the world is that some countries are funding terrorism to bring unrest in the other countries. From the global refugee crisis to the spread of terrorism, our collective failure to resolve conflict is giving birth to new threats and emergencies. Even in peaceful societies, the politics of fear is leading to dangerous polarisation and demagoguery.
All these factors show that the world is on the edge. Any minute, one wrong move by the World powers can result in an uproar. Countries are against each other for bogus reasons. The heat is at an uprising between the different allies and the world might get divided into two or more allies resulting into THE WORLD WAR 3.
Author’s Profile
Kirtika Karma Katira
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kirtikakarma
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirtikakatira
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kirtika-karma-katira/