Ukraine, Iran and how regional wars go global
Conflicts in Europe, the Middle East and Asia are beginning to overlap, and two rival blocs may be forming.
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Overlapping wars now span two continents – Europe and Asia – and are influencing conflicts in Africa.
PHOTO: EPA
Gideon Rachman
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to the bloodiest war in Europe since 1945. The conflict between Iran, the US and Israel has seen 12 countries in the Middle East directly involved in fighting – making it the most widespread war in the region for decades. In East Asia, North Korea is pursuing a rapid military build-up and has renounced the goal of peaceful reunification with the South. Meanwhile, China has stepped up its naval exercises around Taiwan and seems to be rehearsing cutting off the island’s supply lines.
At present, these regional conflicts in Europe, the Middle East and Asia are largely distinct. But they are beginning to overlap. At the weekend, Iran said that Ukraine had sunk an Iranian merchant vessel in the Caspian Sea, killing a sailor. The Ukrainians have acknowledged long-range strikes on Iranian ships in the Caspian, saying they were aimed at military cargo vessels heading for Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also just warned that North Korea is preparing to send another 30,000 troops to participate in Russia’s war on Ukraine.