WARS IN 65 NATIONS AMONG 658 GROUPS (TRENDS AND TROUBLE MAKERS)

The world has many angry and suffering people these days.  We at BootheGlobalPerspectives wanted to share some of our research with you on this.  Consider this, there are approximately 658 warring groups documented in the world today.

Of the 658 warring groups in the world today, we were surprised to see that so many of these are Islamic and many of them are fighting under the name of religion, not the name of a nation or a political entity.  Most observers believe that these wars are political, under the guise of religion, so as to gain more momentum and emotional motivation to fight.  Just take a look at these wars.  Some we call Islamic, some political for outright pure political power and control, and some are Communist or Maoist.   Note the locations, numbers, and avowed 'cause' or affiliation: 

• Afghanistan has 11 warring groups, all Islamic
• Bangladesh 2 warring groups, both Islamic
• Burma, Myanmar 37 warring groups, most of these are Maoist/Communist
• India, 111 Islamic activist fighting groups, 30 Maoist/Communist
• Indonesia 1 Islamic warring group, 4 political
• Kazakhstan,  1 Islamic warring group.
• Korea, 1 political fighting group
• Kyrgyzstan 1 Islamic group
• Nepal, 1 Maoist/Communist warring group
• Pakistan, 14 general political warring groups, 11 Islamic warring groups (this is considered very conservative) 
• Philippines 9 warring groups, all Islamic
• Shri Lanka 3 warring groups, 2 communist, 1 political
• Tajikistan 3 Islamic warring groups
• Thailand 12 warring groups, 4 Islamic, 8 political
• France, 2 violent political groups
• Georgia 1 political warring group
• Greece 15 warring groups, 4 communist and 11 other political
• Italy 26 warring groups, 6 communist, other political warring groups, 20
• Russia has 16 warring groups, 10 Islamic, 6 other political
• Spain 2 political conflicting groups
• Ukraine 5 warring groups, all political (Communist Russia vs Ukraine) 
• Middle East has 218 warring groups all Islamic conflicts
• Americas (north and south) 25 warring groups, all political
• China, the government conceals much but it is believed that there are 25 Islamic warring groups in Chinese territory. There may be other ethnic or religious groups but it is not documented. 
• I will not itemize the nation of Africa, but there is an estimate of over 100 armed and fighting groups, the mix is so diverse that we can only say the players are mixed with tribal, political and some Islamic groups.  Africa's situation is so diverse and changing the documented numbers of each African nation are a moving target.  But we do know that there is a lot of savagery in Africa. 

Of just the above, in 65 nations, we estimate that there are: 

 Armed Islamic Warring Groups:   ........................407  

Armed Communist/Maoist Groups:   ...................   86

Armed 'other political' Warring Groups: .............. 101 "other political"

There are yet other armed and fighting groups which we simply cannot identify who they are fighting with or for, (some of these may be fighting 'religious' or 'Islamic wars' under non religious names), but these might also include anarchists, or various other localized  less significant religious or political disputes.

What surprised us in doing this research is how extensive the Islamic "war effort" is around the world.  62% of the wars and conflicts in the world, are Islamic groups, 80% of them are fighting fellow Muslims.  13% of the world's conflicts are carried out by Communists.

SAVAGERY DONE IN THE NAME OF ANY RELIGION OR IDEOLOGY DISCREDITS BOTH THE WARRIORS AND CASTS A SAD REFLECTION UPON THEIR RELIGION OR IDEOLOGY.  

The second surprise was how active communist and Maoist groups still are around the world. Many in the west have largely discounted the Communist ideology as wounded or of less power since the Soviet Union broke apart. But by this study, we see the Communism is still active, still warlike and still of danger in many parts of the world. 

We of course must ask the following questions. 

1. Who is financing these wars? Who is buying the weapons, uniforms, ammunition and feeding these armies?   In the case of the Islamic groups, documentation  points to wealthy oil producers in the Middle East, miners of precious gems and stones in Thailand, Cambodia, India, and Asia, and some military groups have been successful and seizing oil production facilities, historic sites and selling off plunder to support their efforts.   One report showed that Russia has largely funded the military action in the Ukraine and is now moving jets and weapons into Syria.  Other wars in Africa are largely plunder and kidnapping extortion driven.  Some in Latin America and other nations are financed by the drug trade.  We were interested in one report that showed that Saudi Arabia had donated over 84 billion dollars to various Islamic and Sunni groups, including schools, religious centers, but also military assistance.  We also noted that Iran's religious leaders have seized over 90 billion dollars of property, cash, real estate from political and religious opponents in Iran, and it is plausible that at least some of this money has gone to the support of Iranian military groups fighting in other nations.
2. What is the goal of these warring factions?  While many of them are disguised and financed as "religious" motivated groups, most observers confirm that theirs is battle for political expansion, control and power.  Whether they fighting in the Ukraine, or in Africa, the goal is power, control and often greed.
3. Is the world less peaceful today than it was 50 years ago?  Yes, our world is an angry violent place, with more and more armed groups willing to murder, kidnap, behead and murder to achieve their goals.
4. Is the darkness, the evil of war ever to end? Is there hope for peaceful leadership and some ways to contain these wars?  The answer only exists within the ethics, the integrity, the skill and the power of good people. Good people create good nations, and good nations that appreciate the humanities, art, music, free and open speech and personal freedoms, and who consider the social and "light" that every civilized society on earth sees, are the glue that holds a peaceful world together.   Even an atheist, still admits, upon seeing war in action, the cruelty, the inhuman acts, that there is evil in this world. There is good and there is evil. Many cultures in history contrast it in the metaphor of light vs darkness.  Are you a person of enlightenment, seeking an orderly system of peace, love and happiness or do you lean toward darkness, cruelty, upheaval?  The people of this earth who truly seek the way of light, will always fight darkness and try to give the world peace.

I send this letter to you, my friend, because you have an intellect and a heart.  Consider this "angry" world we live in. As part of this "Global Connected" world that we live in, never has there been a time when the world needed more wisdom and insights, from good and thinking people.  Take a moment, or an hour, and formulate what wisdom you have and as "drops" in the ocean contribute your positive insights for this world. What should our role be?  What can be done?  Are there solutions for peace and goodwill?