Causes of global conflicts
...o vehement protests by the other claimant, causing relations to strain and tensions to heighten. To make matters worse, the media often gives a distorted picture of the situation in favour of the government, stirring up feelings of the people and exacerbating the political tension. Arms race: Arms race is yet another crucial factor contributing to global tensions today. Advanced weaponary as well as a huge army represents a country’s power and strength, acting as a safeguard to the country’s security. Since time immemorial, various countries have been striving to build up a strong military by having advanced weaponary and recruiting a huge number of soldiers. When conflicts occur and the need for a strong military arises, countries often spend enormous sums of money on their militaries which inevitably lead to an arms race. This is exactly the situation between India and Pakistan, where both countries are investing huge sums of money to buy advanced machineries in order to outstrip the other country. When former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee ordered the development of an atomic bomb in 1998, Pakistan followed suit, forming two of the seven nuclear arsenals in the world. The struggle between countries to outstrip each other in an arms race will unavoidably lead to suspicion among the people thus marring the relations. The media often exacerbate the situation by giving a distorted image of the situation, creating unrests and vehement protests which heighten the tensions even further. Religion: Religion also plays a crucial role in contributing to global tensions today. Religion symbolises one’s beliefs and faith, and is often used as a tool to rally support among the people. Religion is often manipulated by charismatic politicians to achieve a political aim. A case in point can be seen in the September 11 terrorist attack. Osama bin Laden, the leader of terrorist group Al-Qaeda, has effectively made use of religion as a tool to unify the people and go against the United States. As an attempt to remove the global threat of terrorism, the United States initiated a “war against terrorism”, but this may make matters worse. The brutal treatment of captured terrorists will ironically lead to greater appeal of the terrorists groups among the masses. This can be further exemplified by the controversial US attack on Iraq under the pretext of combating terrorism which inevitably cultivated the increased popularity of Islamic extreme groups. To exacerbate the situation further, the war on terrorism has created a gulf between Muslim and non-Muslim countries, causing tensions to heighten even further. Competition for natural resources: Apart from those, competition for natural resources also serves as a cause behind global conflicts today. Natural resources are crucial to a country’s economic development and they also represent strength and wealth. Since time immemorial, countries have been striving for more natural resources, whether it is land, forests, mines or water resources. A case in point can be seen in the China-Japan dispute over Tiaoyu Island, where the rich natural resources present in the island have been a source of endless debates. To make matters worse, frequent sea patrols over the disputed islands by the claimant will inevitably exacerbate the political tension. The media often gives a distorted image on the situation, thus creating unrests and further worsen the situation. This can be further exemplified by the water issue between Singapore and Malaysia where the media has played a pivotal role in marring relations between the two countries by giving a distorted image of the issue per se. Unless there is compromise between the two countries, competition for natural resources will continue to serve as a stumbling block towards global peace. Historical baggage: Historical baggage is also one of the main contributing factors towards global tensions today. History symbolises national pride and identity. For centuries, man has been using history to understand the past, relate to the present and shape the future. Often historical clashes will inevitably lead to present conflicts. A case in point can be seen in the recent textbook row in Japan. The controversial history textbook, written by the Japanese society for History Textbook reform, a right-wing group, has provoked vehement protests from China and Korea. It is claimed by China and Korea that Japan glorifies her wartime past and whitewashes her atrocities, ...