Trend More and longer armed conflicts driven by economic interests

Summary

According to the report, the number of conflicts worldwide has grown over the past decade and those conflicts now last longer. Its assessment is that pragmatic economic interests now weigh more heavily in driving them than the ideological divides of the Cold War once did. As an example it points to the civil war in Sudan, where stakes in illegal gold mining play a large part. In such conflicts an ecosystem of local elites and armed groups with foreign ties has emerged, and partnerships among them can shift. The report lists the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, with their effects on energy security, trade flows and regional stability, among the developments that have reshaped thinking about dominant trends.