If you follow the news carefully, then you probably have a pretty good idea of what the most important international conflicts in 2014 were. Yet not all conflicts are covered by the media and some receive little or no attention at all. Civil wars that have been going on for years are especially prone to lose their spot in the news cycle, as viewers tend to become uninterested in long-lasting feuds in far away places.
Whether ongoing or recently concluded, the most important international conflicts in 2014 have come to our attention due to the large scale violence they often produce. Whether civil wars, insurgencies, or inter-state conflicts, these events not only affect the local populations, but have a deep impact on the international community. Hence, even when armed conflicts are apparently local, such as the Somali Civil War, they rarely go unnoticed, and sometimes even result in foreign intervention. Thus, our list of the most relevant international conflicts in 2014 will include some items which some might consider as only affecting their country. We have not ignored these escalations of violence, since they also affect neighboring countries and stir up debate at the United Nations.
If you have read our previous post regarding 9 facts you won’t believe a majority of Americans don’t know, then you won’t be surprised to learn that most US citizens are not aware of the international conflicts we will present in this article. As stated above, the media covers some issues, while others take on a secondary role or are left out altogether. In addition, many armed conflicts stem from complex historical issues, which only experts really understand and care to investigate further. Nevertheless, we wish to change this sentiment by not only listing the most important international conflicts of 2014, but also stating why they are relevant.
In order to arouse further interest regarding this topic, we have focused on the most violent conflicts, taking the amount of fatalities in 2014 as our desired tool of measurement. According to the way we decide to look at armed feuds largely affects the ranking of the conflicts, so bear in mind the relevant factors at hand when you browse through the following list.
10. Afghan Civil War
The Afghan Civil War actually began in 1978, when uprisings against the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan began, following their seizure of power via a military coup. Today, the conflict is known as the Taliban Insurgency, since it has transformed into open combat between Taliban forces and the US-backed Afghan government.
9. Somali Civil War
Claiming more than 500,000 lives since its outbreak in 1991, the Somali Civil War is famous for its brutality. This year the violence was not as widespread, yet the conflict is far from over, despite international intervention.
8. Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Depending on the year one chooses, this conflict, which has been ongoing since 1948, can be considered either peaceful or bloody. This year, the death-toll surpassed 2,200 due to large-scale attacks by Israel, yet this is just a small fraction of the casualties produced by this seemingly unsolvable feud.
7. War in North-West Pakistan
Dating back to 2004, the armed conflict between the government of Pakistan and terrorist groups has claimed more than 54,000 lives. The organization known as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has grown so much during this war that it has become one of the largest terrorist groups in the world.
6. War in Donbass (Ukraine)
The situation in the Ukraine has been covered extensively by the media, partially due to the fact that it has turned into a power struggle between Russia on one side and the US and Europe on the other. Yet while diplomacy has failed to reverse the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the violence continues to claim lives.
5. Central African Republic
When fighting broke out in 2012, few believed the rebel forces – Séléka – would be able to take on the military. Nevertheless, the violence has gotten out of hand, prompting nations such as Cameroon, Angola, and South Africa amongst others, to send in troops to hold back the rebel forces.
4. Islamist Insurgency in Nigeria
This is a great example of an armed conflict which has not received enough attention in the media, despite the fact that it has been ongoing since 1999. The radical muslim group known as Boko Haram turned the fight to establish sharia law in Nigeria into a bloody one, claiming the lives of more than 5,700 people in 2014.
3. Mexican Drug War
Although fatalities have decreased in 2014, the ongoing conflict between the Mexican government and the drug cartels has already claimed more than 150,000 lives since it began in 2006. Why has the battle been so bloody? The answer is quite simple: the conflict is also one between cartels fighting for territory and thus makes it very unpredictable.
2. Iraqi Insurgency
The vacuum of power created by the removal of Saddam Hussein from power and the withdrawal of US troops, along with the precarious condition of the Iraqi security forces, cleared the way for the emergence of new players. This explains the sharp increase in violence, especially since the appearance of the radical jihadist organization ISIS.
1. Syrian Civil War
The most violent and thus most important conflict in 2014 is the Syrian Civil War, which has been going on since 2011. What began as clashes between government and opposition forces, soon turned into an international conflict of great proportions. Today, US and Russian involvement as suppliers of weapons has been confirmed, while the new forces of ISIS have also entered the fray.
