Armed conflict as a humanitarian crisis: VCE Politics Unit 3

What this dot point is asking

The design defines armed conflict broadly: wars between states, violence between groups inside states, or terrorism carried out by either states or non-state actors. Causes may include contested sovereignty, territory or cultural and political identity, and attempts to resolve conflicts are often blocked by perceptions of national interest. You must examine one crisis in depth, with causes, perspectives, processes and effectiveness.

The answer

Case 1: Russia's invasion of Ukraine

• Causes. Russia launched a full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, building on its 2014 seizure of Crimea and support for separatists in the east. Russia's government has justified the invasion by pointing to NATO enlargement and the security of Russian speakers in Ukraine and by its claims over Ukrainian territory. Ukraine and a large majority of UN members reject this and describe the invasion as aggression (the General Assembly resolution of 2 March 2022 passed with 141 votes in favour, 5 against and 35 abstentions). Each actor's view should be attributed in your answer. This is a contest over sovereignty and territory.
• Responses. The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly condemned the invasion in March 2022, but the Security Council was blocked by Russia's veto. The European Union, United States and others imposed sanctions and supplied military and financial support. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Putin in March 2023 over the unlawful deportation of children. NGOs and UN agencies deliver humanitarian aid.
• Processes and status. Peace talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States have been held, but as at September 2026 they had produced no settlement. Check for later developments.
• Effectiveness. Sanctions and support helped Ukraine continue to resist and raised Russia's costs, but have not ended the war; the Security Council could not act.

Case 2: Sudan

War broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, driven by a struggle for power after the 2021 coup. The UN's 2026 humanitarian plan counts 33.7 million people in need, the highest of any crisis, with about 9.3 million internally displaced inside Sudan as at 30 October 2025 (figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, and the International Organization for Migration), and the siege of El Fasher became a focus of UN warnings. The African Union and neighbours are involved in mediation, while external supporters of the combatants complicate talks.

Case 3: Gaza

After the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel and the war that followed, a ceasefire was reached in October 2025. In November 2025 the Security Council adopted resolution 2803 (13 votes in favour, none against, with China and Russia abstaining) endorsing a plan for a transitional administration and a temporary international stabilisation force. By mid 2026, steps such as the force's deployment and the decommissioning of Hamas weapons had not yet advanced, according to Security Council Report. Check for later developments.

Challenges and stability or change

Veto power, supply of arms by outside states, sovereignty arguments, humanitarian access, and the difficulty of verifying ceasefires. Consequences include displacement, regional instability, shifts in alliances and economic effects, such as higher energy and food prices.

Worked example

Question. Discuss how national interests have limited the resolution of one armed conflict.

Model answer (Ukraine). Russia's government presents control over Ukraine's alignment as a security and status interest, so it rejects terms that would restore Ukraine's full sovereignty, and as a permanent member it vetoed Security Council action. Western states give priority to deterring Russian aggression and protecting European security, so they supply arms and sanctions rather than accept a settlement on Russia's terms. With the main parties holding incompatible interests, diplomacy has produced talks but no settlement as at September 2026.

Try this

Q1

Identify two causes of armed conflict named in the study design. Model answer: Contested sovereignty and territory, or questions of cultural and political identity.

Q2

Explain why the Security Council could not act on Ukraine. Model answer: Russia, a permanent member and a party to the conflict, can veto any substantive resolution.

Q3

Outline one way a regional grouping or non-state actor responded to a conflict you studied. Model answer: The European Union applied sanctions; NGOs delivered humanitarian aid. Give the dated detail from your own case.