The World in Conflict: Understanding the world's troublespots

by John Andrews

So far in the twenty-first century, the USA and its allies have invaded Afghanistan; Russia has waged war with Georgia; the brutal Islamic State (IS) has emerged in the Middle East; and a constant contest for precious minerals in Africa has provoked - and financed - war and carnage. Other conflicts are less bloody, but still dangerous - the nervous stand-off between India and Pakistan in Kashmir, for instance, or the continuing stalemate between North and South Korea. Whether explosive or simmering, the number of violent conflicts in the world is high enough to surprise, intrigue and sober any reader. In The World in Conflict , John Andrews tackles head-on the reasons why global conflict is ever-present in our lives. He analyses today's conflicts region by region, considering the causes, contexts, participants, impacts and likely outcomes. He looks at recently-ended wars that still spawn intermittent fighting. And, crucially, he considers where, why and how new conflicts might erupt. This is a must-read for our times, an essential guide for anyone who wants to know more about the world and its danger spots, and how and why war and terrorism persist - in short, how we might better understand our world in conflict.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Political Science, Military Fiction, International Relations, War

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

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This is John^Andrews, where ^=space.

Reviews

[Garima Mamgain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a largely unbiased view of the intra and inter country conflicts around the globe. This is a quick read in many ways. Each conflict hot-spot is concluded in 5-6 pages. No mean feat!

My big three takeaways
1. Violence is a human characteristic. We are destined to raise guns- for religion, ideology or nationalism
2. Conflicts based on religion have outlasted those fought for ideologies
3. Despite of what it looks like, we are living in the most peaceful times of human history (fingers crossed!!)

A must-read for a quick tour of the world which is too busy fighting

[Janp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear and concise overview of (potential) conflict states in the world. Andrews has chosen to sort conflicts per continent and country and hardly ever uses more than five pages per country. It is hard to write a book like this without digging too deep into the sources of certain conflicts or dwelling on details. Andrews though has managed to mention the most important facts in a crisp and clear (though not dry) way without leaving out the good bits that explain situations in certain countries. Highly recommended for those who want to know just a bit more background information on what CNN broadcasts.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting and digestible introduction to the world's conflicts. Definitely worth a read if you're looking to understand what is going on in the world at a basic level!

[Maya Hartman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genuinely useful overview but reads from such a paternalistic viewpoint that only a white guy from England could think of

[Alexandru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, books on conflicts are getting outdated so quickly due to the fact that we have new ones and changes in the situation around the world all the time. As well forecasting is always a difficult job, especially when we talk about hard topics, such as wars and casualties and pain. The invasion of Ukraine changed a lot in the field of peace and conflict in Europe at least. The author tries to create a list of countries with potential for conflict, but most of the info on these can be found on Wikipedia already, so the idea of the book is kind of interesting, but it needs constant updates, basically every year. Being interested in the topic I cannot say I found a lot of new info, but the organisation of the info in regions of the world and specific countries was helpful to grasp the major conflicts from the past.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

My main takeaway: WOW, there are a LOT of terrorist organizations in the world.

If difficult-to-pronounce names roll off your tongue, you don't need a map to find out where little-known communist countries are located, and are fairly up-to date on regime changes, border disputes, and foreign policy, you will enjoy this book. If, like me, you just want an overview of different regions as a backdrop to what you see on the news, a better choice is Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice overview of major conflicts... good for a general understanding

[Kayreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome, loved this book from start to finish. Definitely 5 stars.

[Humphrey Hawksley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a superb guide when trying to navigate the world's trouble spots: Why they have evolved; how they might they settle; what impact could each have on our lives? Andrews manages to show us the common ground between, say, a Philippines insurgency in Asia and its counterpart in Latin America, explaining cause and steeped. The section on the Middle East is particularly good. Steeped in personal experience from those conflicts, Andrews untangles they key causes and motivations, but as for light at the end....? An excellent book for the hand luggage on a journey to any region with a conflict zone.

[Vikas Datta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A useful, concise but well-informed compendium of flashpoints around the world

[' Syamil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Palestin

Negara ini dalam kawasan British selepas perjanjian skyes-picot. Melalui perjanjian Balfour, British mahu menyerahkan Palestin kepada Zionis.

British mahu mendapat sokongan daripada pakar-pakar saintis Yahudi. Jadi British sanggup untuk menyerahkan Palestin kepada Zionis.

Chaim Weizmann pemimpin Zionis yang juga pencipta kaedah ramuan Acetone iaitu satu bahan yang boleh menstabilkan bom dan peluru. Jerman pada ketika musih kepada British telah mendapat seluruh bekalan Acetone ini menyebabkan kebimbangan kepada British.

Afrika

Berlian menjadi produk yang menyebabkan timbulnya kekacauan di Afrika.

Di Somalia, generasi muda akan terus terlibat dalam kekacauan kerana perbalahan antara puak dan penyebaran ideologi Al-Qaeda.

Di Selatan Sudan, penutupan paip minyak yang menghubungkan negara itu ke Laut Merah oleh Sudan menyebabkan negara itu terjebak dalam krisis negara menjadi bankrap. Sudan ada tanah hung dengan Laut Merah dan Selatan Sudan ada hasil bumi yang banyak.

Kemunculan Amerika dan EU

British mula sedar perlu untuk berada di sisi Amerika iaitu apabila British, Perancis dan Israel menyerang terusan Suez. Amerika menyuruh mereka menghentikan serangan tersebut dan mulai dari waktu itulah British sedar bahawa dia tidak lagi menjadi abang di dunia ini.

Perancis pula sedar selepas peristiwa ini bahawa Eropah perlu buat satu gabungan supaya menandingi kehebatan Amerika lalu muncul lah kesatuan Eropah.

Perancis membantu Amerika dalam menyerang Afghanistan namun tidak dalam menyerang Iraq. Segelintir pemimpin Perancis anti Amerika.

Itali salah seorang pengasas NATO dan EU. Namun tidak turut serta dalam pencerobohan Amerika terhadap Iraq.

Rusia

Parlimen Georgia mengecam penaklukan Rusia terhadap Crimea. Ini mendapat tindak balas dari Rusia yang menerbangkan jet pejuang dan helikopter di atas wilayah Georgia.

Rusia adalah empayar yang dibina oleh Peter the Great pada kurun ke 18 sehingga pada hari ini. Kekuatannya terletak pada kemampuannya untuk bertahan dalam apa jua keadaan.

Ini diakui pada perang dunia kedua iaitu kehebatan mereka melawan Hitler menyebabkan Hitler kalah dan namun korban di belah Rusia berjumlah hampir 25 juta orang terdiri dari askar dan rakyat.

Doktrin Brezhnev menyebut bahawa sebuah negara yang masuk dalam kem sosialis mereka tidak dibenarkan keluar dari kem sosialis. Inilah penyebab nya Afghanistan diserang oleh Rusia.

Pada masa sekarang, Putin melihat kemasukan negara jiran mereka ke dalam NATO akan menyebabkan bahaya kepada Rusia.

Doktrin Colin Powell pula terkenal ketika berlaku perang teluk. Iaitu Amerika mesti menggunakan tindakan ketenteraan kepada sesiapa yang menyebabkan kerugian kepada Amerika selepas segala bentuk diplomasi tidak berjaya.

[Adelyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded down.

Precisely what it says on the tin (well, at least on the back of the version I have): A complete handbook on current hostilities around the globe. The book is divided into chapters based on geographical regions, and these are further subdivided based on the country that is being discussed. There are several example countries selected for each region, and given that it is simply impossible to address every single country and/or every single conflict that there is out there today, I thought Andrews did a good job with his sampling. It showed quite effectively that, while each country typically has its own unique reason to be at odds with another, there are several overarching reasons as to why conflicts occur, and this is applicable across different cultures.

The way this is written, it has taken me absolutely forever to read but in a way I think the book is designed to be this way. Reading for large chunks at a time the way I usually do had me starting to get the countries mixed up (bearing in mind that, based on the way the chapters were divided and arranged, more similar countries tended to come one after another if read cover-to-cover) so I started only reading one country each time I picked up the book. The writing was not dry in the slightest, as can be the case with these sorts of books, and for want of a better term (given the general theme of hostility and war) I did quite enjoy the read as I found it very informative.

The one criticism I have is the lack of references: While the short-and-sweet format of this one is perfect for a handbook, it doesn’t really facilitate any further research by pointing the reader towards more comprehensive books on countries that they might be interested in. In a way I feel this is a bit disrespectful – a lot of research must have gone into the planning of this one, and while full credit goes to the author for putting this together, I think it would have been nice if he had acknowledged his sources of information.

[Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The World in Conflict' is a well-researched work offering an in-depth analysis of global conflicts. The author dedicates significant effort to providing historical perspectives on most conflicts, spanning regions from Eastern Europe to Asia and Latin America. By delving into the past, the author sheds light on the root causes and evolution of various conflicts, allowing readers to gain a deeper understanding of the issues and contextualizing current events.

A notable exception, however, is a lack of coverage of Haiti, which, having faced significant and ongoing turmoil, would greatly benefit from inclusion in future editions. The country's persistent struggles with violence, poverty, and political instability present an interesting case study in understanding global conflicts.

Given the rapidly changing nature of global conflicts, frequent updates are essential to ensure the book remains a relevant and accurate resource for readers seeking to understand the complexities of our world.

Recent events, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the ongoing crisis in Yemen, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the civil war in Sudan, and the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, have significantly altered the global conflict landscape. To maintain its value and provide readers with the most up-to-date information, the book would benefit from an update at least every two years, allowing for the incorporation of new developments and evolving situations, thus ensuring its continued relevance as a guide to the world's conflicts.

[Deir Zahrani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bet a lot of you always wonder what exactly happened around the world but got so overwhelmed by the news. This book is definitely a good way to start. And I like how he started with the middle east and separate them with the rest of Asia. Starting from the middle-east make me understand easier the recent problem the most country is facing, how Islamist extremism has widely spread all over the world and how dangerous it is. Understanding this has helped me understand the political turmoil in my own country, how international feud affects our national political environment in a subtle way. And, once it started to explain about the problem in my country, surprisingly it helped to straighten the distorted view I had all this time. It gave me an outsiders perspective, which helps put down all the biased information I receive all my life.
The numbers and abbreviations are getting overwhelming at some point and I just have to skip them in order to get the big picture. But besides that, the book itself is very well written.

[João Caramujo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esclarecedor, completo q.b. e objectivo (no entanto, é possível descortinar alguma ironia em relação a certos países). Apesar de ser relativamente extenso, a decisão de organizar o livro por continentes e depois dedicar algumas páginas a cada país faz com que nunca se torne monótono ou cansativo. Obviamente que dedicar apenas 4 ou 5 páginas a conflictos em países como Israel ou Afeganistão será sempre curto; ainda assim, para uma introdução ao tema, parece-me perfeitamente aceitável. Recomendo.

[Azzahra · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is indeed unbiased but idk sometimes it gets rlly confusing cuz there are times where it doesn’t explain to u who that person is and leads to me being confused of that person’s role in this situation

[HAMZA IQBAL · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to get a bird eye account of various major conflicts around the world, this is the book. It talks about the reasons and impact of such conflicts, and the massive damage they inflict. Since it has introductory information, the issues are not discussed very deeply.

[Stefanie Ng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview with historical background. re-reading it now that the invasion of Ukraine happens again.Global conflicts are deeply rooted in old empires*
and study beyond recent political events is necessary.Sadly,political systems have changed,but old imperialism/tribalism mindset continues.

[Vanessa Tran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for fundamental knowledge of global politics. I feel like the conflicts could have been ordered a little better but still very worth the read.

[Lorrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book if you want to understand the long history of wars currently going on today and how everything intersects globally.

[Izz Afiq · Rating 5 out of 5]

All internal conflicts and turmoils within the country are specifically highlight. Definitely worth the read.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrews presents the modern history of conflict throughout the world. He heavily focuses on Islamic extremism as the cause.

[Trimikha Valentius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the bitesized content format of this book.

[Jimbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Invaluable reference book and the perfect Xmas present for anyone who fails to understand why people are prepared to put their children into small boats to cross the Channel.

[Aidan EP · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a decent overview but it’s a little light in places and could be rather boring at times. Very useful for my university assignments, however.

[H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise understanding of as the title says the world's current conflicts. Great insight into anyone who wants a good intro into geopolitics too

[Amos Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Briefly touches on ongoing conflicts around the world sorted by country, which is an interesting take, providing quick overviews without diving too deep

[Kelvin Zhou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise and fair summary of all the conflicts (present and past) in the world.

[Charlie Steel · Rating 3 out of 5]

informative but repetitive.

[K Diamantopoulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

General overview of main world conflicts. Good for a beginner in this topic.