The pandemic made devastating impacts internationally by inflicting the loss of life of the lives of hundreds of thousands and bringing monumental financial loss and different damaging impacts. But it surely decreased conflicts world wide to a higher extent. The world has already began to get better from the losses brought on by the pandemic in financial and different phrases with vaccination applications, elevated financial actions and normalizing different actions. By this time, China has supposed to extend its nuclear arsenal, whereas the USA, the UK and Australia fashioned a bunch known as AUKUS to comprise China. Furthermore, Russia and China included India and Pakistan within the Shanghai Cooperation Group, which is rendered as a rival group of the Western hegemony. Such current developments raised an previous query anew: is there any chance of the Third World Conflict, eventually?
In fact, there are controversies concerning the Third World Conflict. Some say that it already began with conflicts amongst nations after the Second World Conflict however it should finish with an enormous battle amongst international locations together with highly effective ones. Some others say that the Third World Conflict is but to be began however it should happen involving international powers sooner or later. Nonetheless, others say that there is no such thing as a chance of the Third World Conflict due to the shift of the means of world dominance from military-based to economy-based hegemony and the potential of the whole or near-complete destruction of the world as an entire. But, the potential of the Third World Conflict involving rival teams of opponents, together with their respective allies or different international locations, for international hegemony can’t be discarded altogether, irrespective of whether or not it has began with sporadic small-scale and large-scale inter-country and intra-country wars in several elements of the world for lengthy or not.
In fact, there are some convincing causes for the elevated chance of the Third World Conflict together with elevated geopolitical competitors for financial and army hegemony, rising China with its assertive international coverage aiming at international dominance, the China containment coverage of the West (or a minimum of some considerably highly effective international locations of the West), elevated tensions between Iran and Israel and the re-gaining of energy of the Taliban. In fact, competitors for international hegemony was there for the reason that Second World Conflict particularly between the US and its allied events and the then USSR and its allied international locations, although the west exercised international hegemony in army, financial, political and another features for lengthy. However the hegemony of the West led by the USA was challenged anew within the final decade particularly by Russia and China and has been persevering with until date. Whereas Russia occupied Crimea and performed a decisive function in Syria, China is quickly rising in financial and army phrases.
In fact, China’s rising financial and army energy has turn into an growing risk to the West and its hegemony in financial, army and different phrases. Notably, China has turn into extra assertive in its international coverage with the initiation of the Belt and Street Initiative, however its assertiveness elevated in the course of the pandemic. Furthermore, China, which has good strategic and army grouping with one other superpower resembling Russia, has just lately emphasised its pursuits in growing its nuclear arsenal. In response to China’s rising financial and army functionality and its rising affect within the Asian area together with the South China Sea, the West has already fashioned the QUAD involving the USA, Japan, Australia and India just a few years again and the AUKUS consisting of the USA, the UK and Australia just a few days again. The principle goals of those teams are to comprise China in financial phrases on the floor, although it’s rendered as financial and army phrases in actuality. These will enhance tensions between China and the West. However due to the purpose of world hegemony, the competitors between China and its Western counterparts is much less more likely to be decreased within the days forward.
Furthermore, the lengthy Israel-Iran disputes together with their proxy wars within the Arab area, the Palestine-Israel battle and the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan can even enhance the potential of the Third World Conflict. Notably, Israel and Iran are aligned with rival international powers together with the USA and Russia respectively. Certainly, competitors is rising between Iran and Israel in securing dominance within the Center East. Israel’s current ties with some international locations together with the UAE, its repeated risk to army strike over Iran, Iran’s repeated risk of battle with Israel and assaults of Iran-supported non-state actors together with Hezbollah over Israeli targets are indicative of rising competitors of each events within the Center East. Furthermore, elevated assaults focusing on the army base of the USA in Iraq after the killing of the Iranian basic Quashem Sulaimani, the Taliban’s regain of energy in Afghanistan, the departure of the US forces from Afghanistan and the withdrawal of its missile protection system from Saudi Arabia might inspire hard-line Islamist teams together with Hezbollah and Al Qaeda to extend their assaults on the Western pursuits a minimum of within the Center East. Thus, elevated tensions within the Center East might not be discarded within the days forward.
However it’s notable that two areas can probably be the hotbeds of the Third World Conflict such because the South China Sea and the Center East. However, between the areas, the South China Sea, which is a major international financial route and a extremely disputed sea as a result of China deprives its different claimants together with the Philippines, might be extra more likely to be the bottom for the Third World Conflict. That is primarily as a result of the USA and another Western powers now appear to be extra within the containment of China in financial and army phrases somewhat than in additional devastating the already devastated Center East brought on by the Iraq battle, Syrian civil battle, Yemen civil battle, fixed conflicts between Palestinians and Israel and proxy wars between Iran and Israel. Undeniably, tensions mounted a number of instances between China and the USA and another western states together with the UK that favor different claimants of the disputed sea. The Western powers perform frequent workouts known as the liberty of navigation and the forces of China and the USA generally come nearer to one another over the ocean. If the Third World Conflict begins within the Center East or extra particularly towards Muslims, as was predicted by Samuel Huntington in his well-known e book ‘’The Conflict of Civilizations’’, it may possibly solely be the case if Israel preemptively carries out a serious assault on Iran or Iran and/or Iran-supported Islamist teams perform an enormous assault on Israel and/or the Western targets due to the affect of the broader geopolitical recreation or the mere intention to safe supremacy within the area.
However a related query stays on whether or not nuclear bombs can be utilized, provided that any large-scale battle known as the Third World Conflict happens with the involvement of superpowers. Typically, consultants and students in worldwide relations point out that the utilization of nuclear battle between or amongst nuclear international locations is much less probably. Samuel Huntington even discarded the potential of the utilization of nuclear bombs altogether. In fact, non-nuclear states together with some states within the Center East stay weak to nuclear assaults as a result of such assaults could also be utilized by any international/regional energy(s) as an oblique risk to rival international powers that was seen within the Second World Conflict. But, the prediction of students and consultants of worldwide relations might not be proper as a result of the institution and the upkeep of world hegemony might compel competing events to make use of no matter arsenal they’ve. In that sense, nuclear battle amongst nuclear powers with the preemptive utilization of a restricted variety of nuclear bombs, extra particularly by these nuclear powers which have superior nuclear weapons, can’t be discarded altogether for the decisive benefit within the race of world hegemony somewhat than the whole destruction of the world. Such a chance will increase since there stays an choice for negotiated settlement after preliminary nuclear assaults and no nuclear powers might use a whole lot of nukes that will fully destroy themselves too.
Regardless that the Third World Conflict happens in spite of everything, an essential level is whether or not it should begin eventually. As famous already, the world is now extra focused on the monetary and different types of restoration from losses pushed by the Pandemic. Consequently, give attention to a large-scale battle seems to be much less probably at this second. However such an inclination might not work for all equally. Certainly, China has proven extra aggressive behaviors in the course of the pandemic, even when the West has remained calm in the course of the pandemic. Whereas established international locations have a basic tendency to stay calm, rising powers have a basic tendency to turn into hurried in realizing targets. Consequently, tensions can quickly enhance in some areas giving rise to a different large battle earlier. Additionally, the West can also contemplate extra actions towards China sooner, lest the latter turns into extra highly effective sooner, each militarily and economically. Thus, the prevalence of the Third World Conflict sooner might not be stunning altogether.
However the Third World Conflict will not be desired due to its devastating results, not solely the deaths of hundreds of thousands but in addition losses in financial, social and different features throughout international locations, although some international locations might be extra affected and others much less. Already, many international locations are devastatingly affected by the pandemic in financial and different phrases. But, the intention to be international hegemons and/or to take care of the worldwide hegemony might know no limits. Certainly, devastating wars occurred up to now due to securing international hegemony. Consequently, the potential of the Third World Conflict will not be unlikely altogether, though whether or not the battle will happen eventually is dependent upon many components, each famous and unnoted.