I was still in school in 1991 when I watched the wars in the former Yugoslavian countries unfold. I wondered then why the West did intervene in some conflicts and not in others. The only answer I could find was:” Some have stuff that the West needs, others don’t. It’s not about peace or democracy. It’s about oil, gold , iron and whatever else the West needs”. So I coined the above sentence after a German saying:” He who does not respect the penny is not worth the thaler”

Beside that topic, I also wondered for a long time, if it’s true that I have lived in peaceful times. Sure, there hasn’t been violent conflict in any of the countries I lived in as long as I lived there. But I remember more than my share of wars all over the world. So let’s have a look at what other conflicts are there with a list from Wikipedia. Yes, I know. Not all on there is accurate but if even half is true it’s still a lot of conflicts. I only took the times the conflicts started. Many of these are still ongoing.

1970

Northern Ireland (The Troubles),

Reggio Revolt in Italy,

Black September in Jordan,

Corrective Movement in Syria

1971

Coup D’Etat Uganda,

Bangladesh Liberation War,

Indo- Pakistani Wars,

JVP Insurrection Ceylon,

Seizure of Abu Mussa & the greater & lesser Tunbs, Iran

1972

First Eritrean Civil War,

Insurgency Bangladesh,

Maoist insurgency in Turkey,

Invasion of Uganda

1973

Samita Border Skirmish, Iraq,

Operation Balochistan, Pakistan,

Coup D’Etat Chile,

Yom Kippur War, Israel,

Oromo conflict Ethiopia,

1974

Battle of the Paracel Islands, China,

Arube uprising Uganda,

Second Iraqi-Kurdish war,

Shatt Al Arab conflict, Iran,

Turkish invasion of Cyprus,

Ethiopian Civil war,

Dirty War Argentinia

1975

Islamist Uprising, Afghanistan,

China-India Border Skirmish,

Cabinda War & Civil War, Angola,

PUK Insurgency, Iraq,

Lebanese Civil War,

Western Sahara War,

Insurgency Laos,

Indonesian Invasion of East Timor 

1976

Rebellion of the Lost, Brazil,

Islamist Uprising, Syria,

Insurgency in Aceh, Indonesia,

Right-wing conflict Turkey

1977

Shia Uprising, Iraq,

Civil War, Mozambique,

Shaba 1, Zaire,

Ogaden, Ethiopia,

Egyptian-Lybian War,

Chittagong Hills Conflict, Bangladesh,

1978

Iranian Revolution,

Chadian-Lybian War,

Saur Revolution Afghanistan,

Shaba 2, Zaire,

Uganda-Tanzania War,

Kurdish-Turkish conflict,

Cambodian-Vietnamese War,

NDF Rebellion, Yemen,

1979

Khuzestan Conflict, Iran,

Sino-Vietnamese War,

Yemenite War,

Kurdish Rebellion in Iran,

Herat Uprising Afghanistan,

Al Ansar Insurgency & Shia Uprising, Iraq,

Grand Mosque Seizure, Saudi-Arabia,

Civil War, San Salvador,

Soviet-Afghan War, Afghanistan

1980

Gafsa Uprising, Tunisia,

Second Civil War, Eritrea,

Internal Conflict, Peru,

Gwangju Uprising, South Korea,

Nojeh Coup, Iran,

Coconut War, Vanuatu,

Iran-Iraq War,

Ugandan Bush War,

1981

Paquisha War, Peru,

2001 Insurgency, Macedonia

Entunambe Uprising, Zimbabwe,

Coup-d’Etat attempt, Gambia,

1982

Casamance Conflict, Senegal,

Amol Uprising, Iran,

Falkland War, UK/Argentina,

Ndogboyosoi, Sierra Leone,

Lebanon war,

Ethiopian-Somali Border war, Somalia

1983

Chadian-Nigerian War,

Second Sudanese Civil War,

Sri Lankan Civil War,

Ongoing Kurdish-Iraqi wars,

United States Invasian of Grenada,

1984

Siachen War, India,

1985

South Lebanon Conflict,

Agacher Strip War, Mali,

1986

South Yemen Civil War,

US bombing of Lybia,

Surinam Internal War,

Ciskei-Transkei War, Ciskei,

Sumdorong Chu Standoff, India

1987

JVP Insurrection, Sri Lanka,

War of the tribes, Sudan,

First Intifada, Palestine,

Lord’s Resistance Army Insurgency, Uganda

1988

First Nagorno- Karabach War, Armenia,

Coup D’Etat Attempt, Maledives,

Bougainville Conflict, Papua New Guinea

1989

Coup D’Etat, Paraquay,

Civil War, Afghanistan,

Mauretania-Senegal Border War,

KDPI Insurgency, Iran,

Insurgency Kashmir, India,

US invasion of Panama,

First Liberian Civil War.

The following conflicts are from this Wikipedia list

1990

DHKP Insurgency, Turkey,

Eelam war, Sri Lanka,

Gulf war, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Persian Gulf, Israel,

Civil War, Ruanda,

Mindanao Crisis, Philippines,

Transnistria War, Romania,

Tuareg War, Mali &Niger,

1991

South Ossetia War, Georgia,

Civil War, Somalia,

Operation Traira, Columbia,

1991 Uprising, Iraq,

Civil War, Sierra Leone,

War of Independence, Croatia,

Ten Day War, Slovenia,

Coup D’Etat Attempt, Sovjet Russia,

Civil War, Djibouti,

Civil War, Georgia,

Civil War, Algeria

1992

Coup D’Etat Attempt, Venezuela,

War, Bosnia,

Civil War, Afghanistan,

Civil War, Tajikistan,

Abkhazian War, Georgia,

East Prigorodny Conflict, Russia/Ossetia,

1993

Civil War, Republic of the Congo,

Constitutional Crisis, Russia,

Civil War, Burundi,

Maoist Insurgency Banghladesh,

Chiapas Conflict & Zapatisda Uprising, Mexico,

Insurgency of Ogaden, Ethiopia,

1994

Bophuthatswana crisis, South Africa,

Iraqi-Kurdish Civil War, Iraq,

Civil War, Yemen,

Border Conflict, Armenia-Azerbaijan,

First Chechen War, Chechenia,

1996

Caprivi Conflict, Namibia

1995

Cenepa War, Peru

Eelam War 3, Sri Lanka,

Second Afar Insurgency, Eritrea, Ethiopia

1995 Sudanese- Ugandan Border Conflict

Hanish Island Conflict, Eritrea

1996

Arab-Masalit Conflict, Sudan

Civil War, Nepal

Civil War, Afghanistan

First Congo War

ADF Insurgency, Uganda & DRC

1997

Civil War, Albania

1997 Sudanese-Eritrean Border Conflict

Civil War, Republic of the Congo

1997 Clashes, Cambodia

1998

1998 Monrovia Clashes, Liberia

Kosovo War

Eritrean-Ethiopia War

War in Abkhazia

Civil War, Guinea-Bissau

Second Congo War

Saudi-Yemeni Border Clashes

Al-Qaida Insurgency, Yemen

1999

Maluku Sectarian conflict, Indonesia

1999 East Timor Crisis

Second Liberian Civil War

Kargil War, India

Insurgency in the Presevo Valley, Albania

Batken Conflict, Kyrgyzstan

Ituri Conflict, DRC

War of Dagestan, Chechenia

Second Chechen War

2000

Six Day War, Ruanda

Second Intifada, Palestine

Sheeba Farms Conflict, Lebanon

2001

2001 Border Clashes, India, Bangladesh

Islamist Insurgency in Kurdish Iraq

War on Terror, Too many to name

Taliban Insurgency, Afghanistan

2002

Operation Enduring Freedom, Philippines

Conflict in the Pool Department, Republic of the Congo

First Ivorian War, Ivory Coast

Operation Enduring Freedom, Horn of Africa & too many to mention

From here on I use this Wikipedia List (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars:_2003%E2%80%93present)

2003

War in Darfur, Sudan

Iraq War

2004

Sinaloa-Gulf Cartels Conflict, Mexico

South Thailand Insurgency

Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

PJAK Conflict, Iran

Niger Delta Conflict, Nigeria

Kivu Conflict, DRC

Houthi Insurgency, Yemen

Bush War, Central African Republic

Balochistan Conflict, Iran

2005

2005 India-Bangladesh Border Conflict

Insurgency, Paraguay

Civil War, Chad

Mount Elgon Insurgency, Kenya

2006

Fatah-Hamas Conflict, Palestine

Civil War, Iraq

Operation Astute, East Timor,

Bakassi Conflict, Cameroon

2006 Lebanon War

Eelam War 4, Sri Lanka

Drug War, Mexico

War in Somalia

2007

Operation Juniper Shield (formerly known as Operation Enduring Freedom), Trans Sahara

Tuareg Rebellion, Mali & Niger

2007 Lebanon Conflict

War in Ingushetia, Chechnya

2008

2008 Invasion of Anjouan, Comoros

2008 Lebanon Conflict

Border Conflict, Djibouti, Eritrea

Border Conflict, Cambodia, Thailand

Border Conflict, Bangladesh, India

Russo-Georgian War

Kufra Conflict, Libya

Gaza War, Palestine

2009

Civil War, Somalia

Nomadic Conflicts, Sudan

Insurgency in North Caucasus, Russia

Political Crisis, Peru

Boko Haram Insurgency, Nigeria

South Yemen Insurgency

Operation Scorched Earth, Yemen

Dongo Conflict, DRC

2010

South Kyrgyzstan Ethnic Clashes

2010 Kingston Unrest, Jamaica

Tajikistan Insurgency

Second Ivorian Civil War, Ivory Coast

2011

Sinai Insurgency, Egypt

Shia Insurgency, Bahrain

Libyan Civil War 1

Civil War, Syria

South Kordofan, Blue Nile Conflict, Sudan

Operation Linda Chi, Somalia

2012

Mali War

Heglig Crisis, Sudan

M23 Rebellion, DRC

Abyan Offensive, Yemen

Baragoi Clashes, Kenya

Central African Republic Civil War

2013

Lahad Datu Standoff, Malaysia

Bathwa Luba Clashes, DRC

Renamo Insurgency, Mozambique

Zamboanga City Crisis, Philippines

Civil War, South Sudan

2014

Russo-Ukrainian War

Aswan Tribal Clashes, Egypt 

Civil War 2, Libya

War against Islamic State, too many to mention

2014 Gaza War, Palestine

Civil War, Yemen

2015

Islamic State Insurgency, Tunisia

Kurdish-Turkish Conflict

2016

Niger Delta Conflict, Nigeria

Nagorno-Karabach Conflict, Azerbaijan

Pool War, Republic of the Congo

Kamwina Nsapu Rebellion, DRC

Rakhine State Conflict, Myanmar

Kasese Clashes, Uganda

Insurgency in Northern Chad

2017

Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Skirmishes

Quatif Unrest, Saudi-Arabia

Marawi Conflicts, Philippines

Anglophone Crisis, Cameroon

2017 Kurdish-Iraqi Conflict

Kabo Delgado Insurgency, Mozambique

Islamic State Insurgency, Iraq

2018

Catatumbo Campaign, Columbia

Clashes, Armenia, Azerbaijan

November 2018 Clashes, Palestine

2019

India-Pakistan Border Skirmishes

May 2019 Israel-Gaza Clashes

Benishangul-Gumuz Conflict, Ethiopia

November 2019 Gaza-Israel, Clashes

2020

China-India Skirmishes

Western Togoland Rebellion, Ghana

Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, Azerbaijan

Afar-Somali Clashes, Somalia

Tigray War, Ethiopia

Western Sahara Clashes, Marrocco

Ethiopia-Sudanese Clashes, Sudan

2021

Insurgency SouthEastern Nigeria

Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Clashes

Myanmar Civil War

2021 Israel-Palestine Conflict

Armenia-Azerbaijan Border Crisis

Republican Insurrection, Afghanistan

2021 Afghanistan-Iran Clashes

2022

Russian Invasion of Ukraine

M23 Offensive, Ruanda

Al-Shabaab Invasion, Ethiopia

2022 Israel-Gaza Clashes

2022 Armenia-Azerbaijan Clashes

2022 Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Clash

2023

Las Anod Conflict, Somaliland

War in Amhara, Ethiopia

2023 Afghanistan-Iran Clashes

War in Sudan

Wagner Group Rebellion, Russia

2023 Azerbaijan Offensive in Nagorno- Karabakh

Israel-Gaza War

Israel-Lebanon Conflict

2024

Ecuadorian Conflict

Iran-Pakistan Border Skirmish

So in every year I have been on this beautiful country a Conflict started somewhere. No peaceful times at all then

Video credit: Like Stories of Old via YouTube

Ich noch in der Schule, als ich 1991 die Kriege in den ehemaligen jugoslawischen Ländern miterlebte. Ich fragte mich damals, warum der Westen in einige Konflikte eingriff und in andere nicht. Die einzige Antwort, die ich finden konnte, war: „Manche haben Dinge, die der Westen braucht, andere nicht. Es geht nicht um Frieden oder Demokratie. Es geht um Öl, Gold, Eisen und was auch immer der Westen sonst noch braucht.“ Also habe ich den obigen Satz nach einem deutschen Sprichwort geprägt: „Wer den Pfennig nicht ehrt, ist den Taler nicht wert.“

Daneben habe ich mich lange gefragt, ob es stimmt, dass ich in friedlichen Zeiten lebe. Sicher, in keinem der Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe, gab es gewalttätige Konflikte, solange ich da war. Aber ich erinnere mich an mehr als genug Kriege auf der ganzen Welt. Schauen wir uns also an, welche anderen Konflikte da sind mit einer Liste von Wikipedia. Ja, ich weiß. Nicht alles dort ist richtig, aber wenn auch nur die Hälfte stimmt, sind das immer noch viele Konflikte. Ich habe nur die Daten genommen, an denen die Konflikte begannen. Viele davon finden immer noch statt.

Bitte schaut Euch die Liste oben an

Es gab kein Jahr in meinem Leben, an dem nicht ein Konflikt irgendwo auf diesem schönen Planeten began.