In recent years, we were constantly warned of multiple problems threatening our society. Issues such as war, global climate, crime, and social problems like gender identity and racism were frequently highlighted around the world and require urgency in solution. However, the most critical crises over those issues are conflict, especially political and social. According to the Global Peace Index, conflicts have risen recently, and it exacerbates other critical issues, creating a ripple effect that hinders international cooperation and development on solving problems (Global Peace Index). The conflicts are the most crucial crisis of the modern era because they hinder the resolution of other significant global issues, such as climate change, racial inequality, and economic instability.
Political conflicts severely hinder the resolution of other critical crises. Global climate change is a pressing example of an insolvable crisis. In the modern era, the seriousness of the effects of global climate change were continuously emphasized. However, efforts to combat climate change are often deterred by political disagreement and rivalries between countries. For instance, the Paris Agreement, aimed to reduce the global greenhouse gas emission, found several setbacks due to political tension between major powers (Center for Climate and Security, n.d.).
Few countries, such as the United States, prioritize national interests over the agreement: withdrawing the agreement in 2017 during the Trump administration, which highlighted that political conflicts could undermine the global climate initiatives (The Atlantic, 2018). Moreover, political conflicts such as war also impacted neglecting global climate change from priority. As the start of the Russian-Ukraine War shifted the priority of European countries from environmental policies to national defense and economic stability. This shift influenced voter support away from green parties, such as the European Greens, and towards parties that supported economy and defense (New York Times, 2024). This diversion of focus influenced by the war will delay the progress in solving climate change but also drive away from the sustainable development initiatives.
Furthermore, social conflicts, like racial and ethnic tensions, also commit to the inability to solve other crises. This struggle for racial equality in various countries consumes significant resources and political focus that could be utilized in other systemic issues like poverty and education. For example, the Black Lives Matter movement brought the racial injustices in the United States to the forefront, drawing extensive attention throughout the country.
Addressing social problems and reforming society require substantial investments of time and resources (Brookings Institution, n.d.). Furthermore, since the Black Lives Matter movement is an extremely important and necessary movement, these social protests often draw donations and funding from their supporters. Though the support of any kind should be given, it reduces the financial support to educational reform and poverty alleviation. These caused education and poverty problems to gain less attention and funding to solve them (The New Yorker, n.d.). Therefore, the movement for racial equality is significant, but it should not monopolize the financial support.
Moreover, ethnic conflicts in regions such as the Middle East and Africa are another stark example. The conflict between the Middle East and Africa severely impacted healthcare and development in infrastructure and economy. For instance, in Syria, the ongoing civil war caused millions to lack access to basic needs: food, clean water, and medical care (African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, n.d.). Similarly, in Yemen, violence resulted in horrible humanitarian crises in the world, hampering the international humanitarian efforts (History Today, n.d.).
Lastly, economic conflicts, such as trade wars and sanctions, worsen global crises. Prime example of showing consequences after economic disputes is the trade war between the United States and China. By imposing tariffs and trade barriers that disrupted the global supply chain resulted in increasing the costs for business and consumers globally. Particularly, developing countries suffer from these disruptions since their economic growth and poverty reduction efforts rely heavily on the stability of major economies (Harvard Business Review, 2019; Council on Foreign Relations, n.d.).
In addition, sanctions also cause significant influence in exacerbating humanitarian crises. The countries facing extensive economic sanctions, such as Iran and North Korea, often have serious humanitarian impacts on the civilian population. Iran, for example, sanctions limited the access to important medicines and medical equipment, exacerbating health crises and causing unnecessary suffering of civilians (International Committee of the Red Cross, n.d.). These conflicts in the economy abstract international cooperation on health and security, complicating the global crisis Human Rights Watch, 2019).
The conflicts create a web of interconnected crises that complicate resolution of other major crises. Political, social, and economic conflicts could be fused and interrupt the resolution of other problems. For instance, political instability often causes social unrest and economic decline. In Venezuela, the political turmoil in its society brought economic collapse and national upheaval. From this conflict, the new crisis such as hyperinflation, lack of food, and gigantic decline in living standards examines how single conflict leads to other types of conflict, creating humanitarian disaster from compounded conflicts (OECD).
To sum up, conflicts represent the most significant crisis of our time due to their widespread effects on various global issues. Political strife hampers essential efforts such as climate change mitigation, while social unrest diverts resources from tackling deep-rooted inequalities. Moreover, economic disputes intensify humanitarian emergencies and obstruct international collaboration. The intertwined nature of these conflicts heightens the challenge of resolving them, forming a complex web of issues that necessitate collaborative global efforts. Tackling the numerous crises confronting the world today calls for prioritizing conflict resolution and strengthening international cooperation, setting the stage for a more stable and sustainable future.
By: Yunchang Hur
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