It is often said that peace and development are the themes of our time. However, when we take a broader look at the world, we can see that wars between nations and internal strife within countries are unfolding on a daily basis. Some people rest in eternal sleep amidst the smoke of battle, while others live in relatively peaceful and secure nations, watching the flames of conflict from afar.
The new year is about to begin. Looking back on what happened this year, we can roughly sort some conflicts out.
1. The Continuation of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
On February 24, 2022, due to NATO's eastward expansion and the conflict in Donbass, Putin announced the launch of a "special military operation," aiming to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, marking the official outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The war has shattered the hopes for peace in the region, and the situation remains volatile.
Following the conflict, Western countries imposed severe sanctions on Russia, causing the Russian economy to shake initially but gradually demonstrating resilience thereafter. Meanwhile, Ukraine's economy suffered severe damage, with nearly a quarter of its national budget relying on Western aid.
Moreover, the conflict has had a tremendous impact on various aspects, including global economic recovery, food security, and energy security.
Recently, on December 25, 2024, Christmas Day, Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. During this attack, Russia used over 70 missiles and more than 100 attack drones, while Ukraine shot down more than 50 missiles and most of the drones.
Multiple power plants in Ukraine were hit hard and engulfed in flames, leading to power and heating outages in several regions.
As the Russia-Ukraine conflict approaches its fourth year, this prolonged war has caused immense losses to both sides. It remains uncertain whether there will be a hope for ceasefire in 2025.
2. Israeli Palestinian Conflict
Since 2023, tensions in the Palestine-Israel region have escalated. This round of Palestine-Israel conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 50,000 Palestinians. From initial rocket attacks to the current widespread warfare, countless innocent lives have been lost in the flames of war.
The escalating violence and the profound suffering of both peoples reflect the underlying complexities of geopolitics, ethnic conflicts, and interest disputes.
The scenes of horrific massacres, the ruins left by artillery bombings, young faces smeared with dust and blood… each scene unfolds like a living hell.
"We can't grow up here," this phrase has once touched the hearts of countless people.
The Palestine-Israel conflict has had significant impacts on the global economy, geopolitics, and religious landscape, causing profound humanitarian disasters.
This complexity makes it difficult for pure military confrontation to fundamentally solve the problem. Only through equal dialogue and mutual compromise can long-term peace and stability in the region be achieved.
3. Conflict in Sudan
Since independence, Sudan has struggled to escape the vicious cycle of transitioning from chaos to governance and back to chaos. The social structure, built upon tribal ties and ethnic kinship, has made it difficult to reconcile contradictions within Sudan's armed forces and political parties, leading to frequent conflicts and unrests of varying scales.
Since April 2023, armed conflicts have erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital Khartoum, spreading to other regions and continuing to this day.
Since the outbreak of the conflict, more than 20,000 people have died, and over 10 million people have been displaced within Sudan.
This conflict has dealt a severe blow to Sudan's economy, collapsing its healthcare system, spreading diseases, and causing a severe humanitarian crisis, further undermining the fragile hopes for peace in the region.
4. Conflict Between Israel and Iran
In 2024, Israel and Iran witnessed two major conflicts.
The first conflict erupted in April, when Iran launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Israel in retaliation for a previous airstrike on Iran's embassy in Damascus.
The second conflict broke out in October, with Iran firing approximately 200 missiles at Israel in response to Israel's assassination of Hezbollah leaders and Hamas commanders.
While Israel intercepted the majority of the missiles, some air bases still suffered inevitable damage.
These two significant military confrontations between the two sides further escalated tensions in the Middle East.
Although the parties did not enter a state of full-scale war, they still posed a severe threat to global stability, security, and peace.
5. Syrian Civil War
Since its outbreak in 2011, the Syrian civil war has been relentless, representing a prolonged and continuous conflict between the Syrian government and multiple opposition forces.
In November of this year, following the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, Syrian rebel forces launched an attack on government-controlled areas in the eastern part of Idlib Province in northern Syria, marking the beginning of a new round of civil war and plunging Syria into chaos once again.
During this struggle, the rebel forces mounted an aggressive offensive, ultimately overthrowing the Assad regime. The fighting gradually spread towards the urban cores, causing civilian life to nearly collapse.
Tens of thousands of civilians fled to the Lebanon border. Syria's basic services suffered immense damage, and many world heritage sites were listed as endangered by UNESCO.
Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the number of casualties has been countless, reaching hundreds of thousands. The war has also brought severe disasters to neighboring countries.
The conflict poses the greatest threat to peace. Many places around the world are still engulfed in war, leaving civilians in desperate straits. The devastation and pain brought by war to countries and their people are indescribable.
Peace is the eternal pursuit of mankind, but a true era of peace seems far off into the future. Those of us who live far from the smoke of battle can only cherish peace, do our jobs well, and continue to strive for this hard-earned peaceful life. If we have greater power, please speak out and act for peace.
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