BELGRADE – SERBIA

500+ participants / 80+ panelists / 16+ panels
BSC2024

18-20 NOVEMBER

Day 2

13:00 – 14:00
(parallel session)

Forgotten Humanity: Ongoing Conflicts and the Challenge of Multiple Crises


Not all conflicts are created equal: some draw more attention than others due to geographical proximity, duration in time/novelty (the longer the conflict the more the possibility of conflict fatigue) and, crucially, geo-political interests. The current attention bias is decidedly in favour of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Ukraine-Russia one. However, in June 2024 analysts indicated the number of conflicts worldwide to be in excess of 55, whilst the past three years have registered the highest number of battle related deaths since World War II. International and regional organisations mandated with managing peace and security are either undermined or unable to perform their role whilst diplomacy seems at best redundant at worst a complicit tool. In concrete terms this means a large amount of humanity is left to fend for itself. Why do some wars garner more attention than others? How does attention bias affect foreign policy coherence and what are the drivers of such incoherence? Is the EU renouncing a significant role internationally and is it ultimately posturing not so differently than the general inward-looking positions of several of its MS? Is there still a role for diplomacy to foster dialogue and help resolve conflicts? What are the consequences of letting conflicts fester? Looking at case studies from Europe, Africa and Asia the panel will discuss implications of ongoing wars from a humanitarian, geopolitical, and diplomatic perspective with a particular focus on European involvement (or lack thereof) and consequences for Europe.


Make

Connection

Follow us