January1, 2007:
You'd never know it from the headlines, but, overall, things
quieted down in the past year. Fighting has died down considerably, or
disappeared completely, in places like Nepal,
Chechnya.
Congo,
Indonesia
and Burundi.
This continues a trend that began when the Cold War ended, and the Soviet
Union no longer subsidized terrorist and rebel groups everywhere.
The
War
on Terror has become the War Against Islamic Radicalism. This
movement has always been around, for Islam was born as an aggressive movement,
that used violence and terror to expand. Past periods of conquest are regarded
fondly by Moslems, and still called upon to inspire the faithful. The current
enthusiasm for violence in the name of God has been building for over
half a century. Historically, periods of Islamic radicalism flared up
periodically in response to corrupt governments, as a vain attempt to impose a
religious solution on some social or political problem. The current violence is
international because of the availability of planet wide mass media (which
needed a constant supply of headlines), and the fact that the Islamic world is
awash in tyranny and economic backwardness. Islamic radicalism itself is
incapable of mustering much military power, and the movement largely relies on
terrorism to gain attention. Most of the victims are fellow Moslems, which is
why the radicals eventually become so unpopular among their own people that
they run out of new recruits and fade away. This is what is happening now. The
American invasion of Iraq was a clever exploitation of this, forcing the
Islamic radicals to fight in Iraq, where they killed many Moslems, especially
women and children, thus causing the Islamic radicals to lose their popularity
among Moslems.
Normally,
the West does not get involved in these Islamic religious wars, unless attacked
in a major way. Fighting back is considered, by Moslems, as culturally
insensitive, and some of the Western media have picked up on this bizarre
interpretation of reality. Historians like to point out, for example,
that the medieval Crusades were a series of wars fought in response to Islamic
campaigns against Christians, not the opening act of aggression that started
everything. Thus, the current war on terror is, indeed, in the tradition of the
Crusades. And there are many other "Crusades" brewing around the
world, in the many places where aggressive Islamic militants are making
unprovoked war on their Christian neighbors. Political Correctness among academics
and journalists causes pundits to try and turn this reality inside out. But a
close look at the violence in Africa, Asia and the Middle East shows a definite
pattern of Islamic radicals persecuting those who do not agree with them, not
the other way around.
While
Islamic terrorism grabs most of the headlines, it is not the cause of many
casualties, at least not compared to more traditional wars. The vast majority
of the military related violence and deaths in the world comes from dozens of
little wars. Actually some of them are not so little. While causalities from
terrorism are relatively few (usually 5,000-10,000 dead a year worldwide), the
dead and wounded from all the other wars are much more numerous (more than
twenty times as much as terrorism).
Current
wars are listed in alphabetical orders. Text underneath briefly describes
current status. Click on country name for more details.
AFGHANISTAN
Taliban
are fighting back more vigorously, but without much success. A sharp increase
in Taliban activity in 2006 brought forth a sharp response from government and
NATO forces. Independent minded tribes, warlords and drug gangs remain a
greater threat to peace, prosperity and true national unity, than the
Taliban (which is based across the border in Pakistan).
ALGERIA
A
few hundred Islamic rebels fading away, but a general uprising a threat because
of dissatisfaction with the old revolutionaries that refuse to honor election
results or share power.
ANGOLA
Main
rebel group (UNITA) defeated, but some smaller ones have appeared to fight over
oil wealth. This war is basically over.
BALKANS
The
Greater Albania Movement is driven by part time Albanian nationalists, full
time gangsters. Kosovo separatists and a growing number of Islamic
radicals.Bosnia continues to attract Islamic terrorists.
CENTRAL
ASIA
Dictators
brew rebellion by suppressing democrats and Islamic radicals. But not much
violence, just a lot of potential.
CHAD
Rebel
movements grew and united, aided by government backed Arab militias from Sudan.
There was a three month mini-war with Sudan in mid-2006. More unrest is caused
by refugees from tribal battles in Sudan.
CHINA
The
confrontation with Taiwan continues, as do hostilities with neighbors,
separatists, dissenters and ancient enemies. China speeds up modernization of
its armed forces, but in ways Westerners have a difficult time understanding
(China is developing major Cyber War capabilities, and using them now.).
COLOMBIA
After
over three decades, leftist rebels losing support, recruits and
territory.Leftist demagogue in Venezuela threatens to support rebels, but
has not done much yet.The drug gangs and rebels have merged in many parts
of the country, and war in increasingly about money, not ideology.
CONGO
Multiple
tribal and political militias, plus an increasing number of bandits, continue
to roam the countryside. Peacekeepers and army action have reduced the size of
these violent groups, but not eliminated them. However, there are fewer
places that the bad guys can roam freely.
ETHIOPIA
Border
dispute with Eritrea festers, and invasion of Somalia threatens to get out of
hand. Internally, rebellious Moslem groups are a constant threat.
HAITI
Peacekeepers
keep a lid on two century old violence between the rich and the poor, and the
criminal and political gangs.
INDIA-PAKISTAN
Kashmir
is but one of many rebellions that beset the region. India also has tribal and
Islamic rebel in the northeast, and Maoist (communist) ones in between.
Pakistan has Islamic radicals in the north, and rebellious Pushtun and Baluchi
tribes along the Afghan border. India and Pakistan have nukes, making
escalation a potential catastrophe. As a result, recent peace talks have
lowered the possibility of war, but both sides continue an arms
race.Pakistani Islamic radical groups continue to support terrorism in India
and Afghanistan, although with less support from the Pakistani
government.
INDONESIA
Separatism,
pirates, Islamic terrorists and government corruption create a volatile
situation that is slowly calming down. Aceh, however, is becoming a stronghold
for Islamic conservatives. Newly independent East Timor has been unable to
govern itself.
IRAN
Minority
of Islamic conservatives have veto power over the majority of reformers. The
supply of peaceful solutions is drying up. After that comes another revolution.
Half the population consists of ethnic minorities (mainly Turks and Arabs), and
these groups are getting more restive and violent. Meanwhile, the Islamic
conservatives are determined to build nuclear weapons, rather than improving
the economy and raising living standards. Unrest and terrorist violence
becoming more common.
IRAQ
Sunni
Arab minority tries to make peace with the majority Kurds and Shia Arabs. But
Sunni Arab Islamic radicals still back terrorism attacks against government and
Shia Arabs (who are considered heretics). Many Sunni Arabs are fleeing the
country, and this appears to be how the war will end, with nearly all the Sunni
Arabs dead or expelled. That sort of thing is an ancient practice in this part
of the world. U.S. backing out of the picture, with U.S. casualties down four
percent compared to last year.
ISRAEL
Jewish
and Palestinian radicals continue to confront peacemakers. The Palestinian
people got tired of terrorism, even though they still support it, and are
trying to work out a peace deal with Israel. Palestinian economy has collapsed
as foreign charity dried up because the people elected Hamas (Islamic
terrorists) party to power. Iran backed Islamic radicals in Lebanon have
dragged Lebanon into a war with Israel, that left Lebanon a
mess.Meanwhile, Israeli economy booms as Israel carries out its plan to
wall itself off from the Palestinians (who don't seem to be able to do anything
right).
IVORY
COAST
The
north and the south fight over money, religion and power. This war is
stalemated, courtesy of peacekeepers set up between the factions.
KOREA
After
half a century, North Korea continues to destroy its economy, in order to
maintain armed forces capable of invading South Korea. A nuclear weapons test
changed nothing, although continued famine in the north has prompted China to
send more and more troops to the border. North Korean military declines
in power, as lack of money for maintenance or training cause continuing
rot.
KURDISH
WAR
Kurds
continue 5,000 year struggle to form their own country. But Iran cracks down on
its Kurds, while Turkey threatens to move more troops into northern Iraq.
LIBERIA
Chaos,
collapse and tired of fighting. There is peace, but no prosperity.
MEXICO
The
passing of one-party rule, the growth of drug gangs, and increasing corruption
in the security forces, has triggered growing violence and unrest.
MICRONESIA
Several
"failed states" (countries with populations that cannot govern themselves)
are found here. Fiji has another coup, Tonga suffers major riots by
democrats.
NEPAL
Radical
communist rebels still struggle to overthrow a popular monarchy, but now do it
inan alliance with political parties. This has stopped nearly all the
violence, and greatly reduced the powers of the monarchy.
NIGERIA
Too
many tribes, too much oil money and too much corruption creates growing
violence. The tribes in the oil producing region (the Niger Delta) are getting
organized, and a lot more violent. The northern Moslems want more control over
the federal government (and the oil money).
POTENTIAL
HOT SPOTS
Various
places where the local situation is warming up and might turn into a war.
PHILIPPINES
Islamic
minority in the south wants it's own country, and expulsion of non-Moslems.
Communist rebels in the north fight for social justice and a dictatorship. Both
of these movements are losing and the Moslems are negotiating a peace deal. The
communists are taking a beating.
RUSSIA
Rebuilding
and reforming the Soviet era armed forces continues. The war against gangsters
and Islamic radicals in Chechnya has been won, but the Islamic radicals
continue to operate in other parts of the Caucasus.
RWANDA
& BURUNDI
War
between better organized and more aggressive Tutsis and more numerous Hutu
tribes. It's been going on for centuries, but the latest installment has
finally ended, with the last Hutu group in Burundi giving up.
SOMALIA
A
failed state. It was never a country, but a collection of clans and tribes that
fight each other constantly over land and other economic issues.The
new "transitional" government, was nearly wiped out by an
" Islamic Courts" movement (which attempted to put the entire
country under the rule of Islamic clergy and Islamic law). When Islamic Courts
threatened to expand into Ethiopia, Ethiopia invaded and wiped out the Islamic
Courts. The country remains an economic and political mess, a black hole on the
map.
SRI
LANKA
Tamil
minority (19th century economic migrants from southern India) battles to
partition the island.A long ceasefire ends and fighting has
resumed. Tamils (the LTTE) are losing this time.
SUDAN
Moslems
in the north try to suppress separatist tendencies among Christians in the
south and Moslem rebels in the east and west. All this iscomplicated by oil
fields in the south, and Moslem government attempts to drive Christians from
oil region. Battles over land in the west pit Arab herders against black
Sudanese farmers. Both sides are Moslem, but the government is backing the
Arabs.
THAILAND
Moslems
in the south have a different religion than most Thais, and are different
ethnically as well (they are Malays). Islamic radicalism has arrived, along
with an armed effort to create a separate Islamic state among the few million
people in the area. Islamic terrorists grow more powerful month by month, but
are still a minor, but high media profile, problem.
UGANDA
Religion
and tribalism combine to create a persistent rebellion in the north, which was
aided by Sudan. But now the northern rebels have been worn down, and the unrest
is just about done with.Final peace deal with LRA rebels being
negotiated.
WAR
ON TERROR
International
terrorism has created a international backlash and a war unlike any other. The
only terrorist victories are in the media. On the ground, the terrorists are
losing ground everywhere. There least refuges are places like Somalia, a few of
the Philippine islands, and tribal regions of Pakistan. They are being chased
out of Somalia and the Philippines, while Pakistan is under constant pressure
to do the same.