Armed conflict and terrorism as a global crisis: VCE Politics

What this dot point is asking

In the current study design, armed conflict is one of the areas you can choose for the Unit 3, Area of Study 2 crisis (see the armed conflict page). This page analyses armed conflict and terrorism as a global crisis, as the previous design framed it: its causes, its consequences, and how global actors respond. You need to explain why conflict and terrorism arise, the human and political costs, and the strengths and weaknesses of the responses available, then judge how effective those responses are. Exam questions ask you to analyse causes and consequences and to assess responses, so prepare a clear framework and current examples.

The answer

Defining the crisis

Armed conflict is organised violence between states or within a state, including interstate war, civil war and insurgency. Terrorism is the use of violence against civilians to create fear and advance a political, religious or ideological aim. Both are crises because they cause mass suffering, destabilise regions and demand a response from global actors. They often overlap, as conflicts create space for terrorist groups to grow.

Causes

Conflict and terrorism arise from interacting causes.

• Political causes. Competition for power and territory, contested sovereignty, weak or failed states, and the breakdown of order. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine is a clear interstate conflict driven by power, territory and security.
• Economic causes. Poverty, inequality and competition over resources can fuel grievance and provide recruits and funding for armed groups.
• Identity and ideology. Ethnic, religious or nationalist division, and extremist ideologies, motivate both civil conflict and terrorism, as the rise of Islamic State showed.

Consequences

The consequences are severe and ripple outward.

• Human. Mass casualties, displacement of millions, famine and the destruction of healthcare and education.
• Political. State collapse, regional instability, refugee flows that strain neighbouring states, and damage to the international order when major powers are involved.
• Economic. Destroyed infrastructure, disrupted trade and energy markets, and the diversion of resources to defence, with effects felt globally.

Responses by global actors

A wide range of actors respond, with mixed results.

• Intergovernmental organisations. The United Nations can authorise peacekeeping, mediate ceasefires and deliver humanitarian relief. Its Security Council can authorise force, but the veto held by the five permanent members frequently paralyses action, as the deadlock over Ukraine shows.
• States and coalitions. States respond through military action, alliances, sanctions, arms supplies and diplomacy. Counter-terrorism coalitions degraded Islamic State's territorial control, and Western states armed and funded Ukraine while sanctioning Russia.
• Non-state actors. NGOs such as the International Committee of the Red Cross deliver humanitarian aid and uphold the laws of war, while armed groups and terrorist organisations are often parties to the crisis itself.
• International law. The laws of armed conflict and the International Criminal Court seek to constrain conduct and hold individuals accountable, though enforcement is weak.

Judging effectiveness

Responses can contain conflict, relieve suffering and degrade terrorist groups, but they rarely resolve the underlying causes, and great-power rivalry often blocks decisive action. Effectiveness is therefore uneven and usually partial, strongest in humanitarian relief and weakest where powerful states are parties.

Examples in context

Example 1. An interstate conflict and a blocked council. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine caused mass casualties, displaced millions and disrupted global energy and grain markets. As a permanent member, Russia can veto Security Council action against itself, forcing the response onto coalitions that armed Ukraine and sanctioned Russia, showing both the reach and the limits of global responses.

Example 2. Degrading a terrorist group. A broad international coalition rolled back the territory held by Islamic State, ending its self-declared caliphate. This shows military responses can degrade a terrorist organisation, yet the ideology and conditions that produced it persisted, illustrating why causes outlast battlefield gains.

Try this

Q1. Identify two causes of armed conflict. [4 marks]

• Cue. Political (power, territory, weak states), economic (poverty, resources), identity or ideology.

Q2. Explain two consequences of armed conflict as a global crisis. [6 marks]

• Cue. Human (casualties, displacement), political (state collapse, refugee flows), economic (disrupted trade and energy).

Q3. Evaluate the effectiveness of global actors in responding to armed conflict. [10 marks]

• Cue. Weigh peacekeeping, relief, sanctions and coalitions against the Security Council veto and unresolved causes, and reach a defensible judgement.