Amid global conflict escalation, humanitarian crises, and the need for a political culture of prevention
Abstract: In the 21st century, we are witnessing the growing normalization of armed conflict, as demonstrated by the latest international data on active wars, civilian casualties, and humanitarian crises. Through a geopolitical and socio-political framework, the article highlights how war has progressively re-entered the ordinary vocabulary of global security, supported by rising military expenditures and a strategic rhetoric centered on deterrence. The text offers a critical reflection on the tension between military instruments and political-diplomatic tools, arguing that peace—understood as the construction of justice, the protection of rights, and the strengthening of democratic institutions—represents today a radically pragmatic and countercultural choice. In a context of widespread conflict, peace emerges as a structural political project and as a new form of collective responsibility.
Keywords: #ArmedConflicts #GlobalWar #HumanitarianCrises #InternationalSecurity #PreventiveDiplomacy #InternationalLaw #HumanRights #MilitarySpending #Peace #CollectiveResponsibility #GlobalJustice #PaolaLaSalvia #EthicaSocietas #EthicaSocietasMagazine #ScientificJournal #SocialSciences #ethicasocietasupli
Paola La Salvia: former lawyer, senior officer of the Guardia di Finanza, lecturer in economic and legal subjects, expert in anti-money laundering and organized crime, Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, author of several works; her most recent publication is I malacarni, focused on mafia-type organized crime. LinkedIn Profile.
THE STRUCTURAL RETURN OF WAR IN CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL DISCOURSE
War no longer appears as an exceptional event confined to peripheral contexts, but rather as a recurring component of the international order.
In the 21st century, armed conflict has forcefully re-entered global political language, legitimized through categories such as security, deterrence, and national interest. This transformation signals a normalization of organized violence that affects not only geopolitical balances, but also the collective imagination.
According to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), in 2024 more than sixty active armed conflicts involving national governments were recorded, including interstate wars and civil wars—the highest level since the end of the Second World War[1]. At the same time, the ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data) database reports that between 2024 and 2025 more than 240,000 fatalities linked to organized violence were recorded, including both combatants and civilians[2]. These figures are not mere statistics: they represent bombed cities, separated families, destroyed infrastructure, and generations growing up under the constant threat of weapons.
REGIONAL CRISES AND SYSTEMIC IMPACT
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which began in 2014 and escalated into a full-scale invasion in February 2022, remains one of the most destabilizing conflicts of our time. International reports published in 2025 indicate a significant increase in civilian casualties and a worsening humanitarian crisis, partly due to systematic attacks on energy infrastructure and residential areas[3].
In the Middle East, the attack of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent military offensive in the Gaza Strip have generated one of the most severe humanitarian crises of recent decades, with tens of thousands of deaths and massive displacement[4].
In Sudan, the civil war that erupted in 2023 has resulted in more than twelve million displaced people, including internally displaced persons and refugees; in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, millions live in conditions of acute food insecurity; in Syria, after more than thirteen years of conflict, over thirteen million citizens have been forced to abandon their homes[5].
According to the United Nations, more than 230 million people worldwide currently require humanitarian assistance, largely as a consequence of armed conflicts or their aftermath[6]. The proportion of children living in war-affected areas has nearly doubled compared to the 1990s, highlighting the structural impact on younger generations.
MILITARY SPENDING AND THE SECURITY PARADIGM
Alongside the intensification of conflicts, global military budgets have risen significantly, surpassing 2.4 trillion dollars annually according to estimates by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)[7].
The expansion of military expenditure reflects the growing centrality attributed to the armed dimension of international security. However, the crucial issue concerns the balance between military instruments and political tools. Preventive diplomacy, multilateral cooperation, and the strengthening of international institutions are essential elements for durable security, yet they struggle to receive comparable visibility and priority.
PEACE AS POLITICAL PRAGMATISM
Bellicose rhetoric thrives because it promises rapid solutions: an identifiable enemy, a muscular response, a symbolic victory. History, however, demonstrates that even wars formally concluded leave deep scars—not only material, but psychological, moral, and social. In this context, speaking of peace does not mean retreating into utopia, but rather adopting a radically pragmatic stance.
Peace does not coincide with the mere absence of war; it entails the construction of justice, the effective protection of human rights, the reduction of inequalities, and the strengthening of democratic institutions and international law.
If war tends to become normalized, peace represents the most countercultural—and at the same time most necessary—choice of our time.
NOTES
[1] Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), Armed Conflict Dataset 2024.
[2] ACLED, Global Conflict Trends Report 2025.
[3] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Ukraine Humanitarian Update 2025.
[4] UNRWA, Gaza Situation Report 2025.
[5] UNHCR, Global Trends: Forced Displacement 2024–2025.
[6] United Nations, Global Humanitarian Overview 2024.
[7] SIPRI, Trends in World Military Expenditure 2024.
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