🏛 Politics
Ukraine moved towards the European Union and NATO, a group of countries that defend each other. Russia opposed this. Ukraine says it has the right to choose its own allies. Russia says its security is threatened.
Peace and Conflict: Key Ideas » Three Conflicts in the World Today
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 1, 3.1
- Three current areas of conflict: Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, and the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Where each is, who is involved and how it began
- How politics, resources, history, culture and religion each play a part in each conflict
- One or two attempts to make peace in each
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Unlock This CourseHow to study a current conflict
The spec says three current areas of conflict must be studied. This course uses three. For each one, ask the same questions: where is it, who is involved, why did it start, and what has been tried to end it? Then sort the causes under the five headings from the last lesson: politics, resources, history, culture and religion. Some headings matter a lot in one conflict and hardly at all in another.
These are real events, and people on different sides see them differently. Where a claim is disputed, this lesson says who makes it. Events keep changing, so look up the current position on a reliable news source such as the BBC.
Key terms:
- Annex: to take over land and declare it part of your own country.
- Occupation: when one state's forces control land that others say belongs to someone else.
- Armed group: a fighting force that is not part of a country's official army.
- Mandate: a period of rule over an area, given to a country by the League of Nations after the First World War.
- Partition: dividing land into two or more parts.
- Settlements: towns built by Israelis on land Israel has occupied since 1967. Many countries say they are illegal. Israel disagrees.
- Peacekeepers: international troops sent to a conflict area to help protect people and support peace.
Conflict 1: Russia and Ukraine
Where and who: Ukraine is a large country in eastern Europe, next to Russia. Russia and Ukraine are the main sides in the war. Many other countries have supported Ukraine.
How it began: Ukraine became independent in 1991, when the Soviet Union broke up. In 2014 Russia annexed Crimea, and fighting began the same year in the Donbas, in eastern Ukraine. The Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015 tried to stop the fighting but did not hold. On 24 February 2022 Russia launched a full-scale invasion.
📜 History
Ukraine and Russia shared a long history in the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union. People see that past in very different ways: as a shared past, or as a time when Ukraine was not free.
🌾 Resources
The industry of the east, the Black Sea ports, grain and energy all matter to both sides and to other countries.
🗣 Culture
Questions of language and national identity are part of the dispute. Many Ukrainians speak Ukrainian, many speak Russian and many speak both.
Religion: plays only a small part. This is mainly a dispute about land, security and identity.
Peace attempts: the Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015 did not hold. At the time of writing the war has not ended, so check the current position.
Conflict 2: Israel and Palestine
Where and who: this is a dispute over a small area of land in the Middle East. It is holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, and Jerusalem is at its heart. The main sides are Israel and the Palestinians. Palestinians live in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, and as refugees and citizens in other places. Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. The Palestinian Authority runs parts of the West Bank.
How it began: Britain ruled the area under the Mandate (see key terms) after the First World War. In 1947 the United Nations put forward a partition plan to divide the land. In 1948 the State of Israel was declared, followed by war and the displacement of many Palestinians. After the war of 1967, Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. The Oslo Accords of 1993 began a peace process. In 2005 Israel withdrew its settlers and troops from Gaza. On 7 October 2023 Hamas led an attack on Israel, and a war in Gaza followed.
🏛 Politics
Israel says its security must come first. Palestinians say they have a right to a state of their own. Unresolved issues include borders, Jerusalem, settlements, refugees, security and Palestinian statehood.
🌍 Resources and land
Land is the main resource. Who controls which land, and who may live on it, is central.
📜 History
Each side points to a long connection to the land and to events since 1947 and 1948. Israelis and Palestinians tell the story of those years differently.
🎭 Culture and religion
Jerusalem and its holy places matter deeply to Jews, Christians and Muslims, and national identity is strong on both sides. The dispute is also about land and politics. It is never right to equate a religion or a whole people with a government or an armed group.
Peace attempts: the Oslo Accords of 1993, and a Gaza ceasefire from October 2025 under a US-backed plan. Disputes over borders, Jerusalem, settlements, refugees, security and statehood remain unresolved. At the time of writing the ceasefire is fragile and there is no lasting settlement, so check.
Conflict 3: the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Where and who: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) is a very large country in central Africa. The conflict is in the east, in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. Many armed groups fight there, including one called M23. Neighbouring countries are involved too.
How it began: there has been conflict since the 1990s, following the 1994 genocide (the deliberate killing of a large part of a people) in neighbouring Rwanda and the wars of 1996 to 2003.
🏛 Politics
The state has weak control over the east, which leaves room for armed groups. Neighbouring countries are involved. United Nations experts have reported Rwandan support for M23, which Rwanda denies.
💎 Resources
Control of minerals such as coltan (a mineral used in electronics), gold and tin helps to pay for fighting. This is a major cause.
📜 History
The wars of 1996 to 2003, and the events in Rwanda in 1994, left many armed groups and deep distrust.
🗣 Culture
Ethnic tension plays a part, with groups fearing or blaming one another.
Religion: plays little part.
Peace attempts: the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, and a peace agreement between DR Congo and Rwanda, signed in Washington on 27 June 2025. At the time of writing, armed groups are still active in the east, so check the current position.
Comparing the three
This shows why the question "does religion cause war?" has no single answer. Use these three cases as evidence when you apply the general causes from the last lesson, Why Conflicts and Wars Happen.
Common mistakes
- Taking a side. Describe what each side says.
- Writing "the Jews" or "the Muslims" when you mean a government or an armed group. A religion is not the same as a state.
- Saying religion is a cause of every conflict. In two of these three it plays little part.
Exam-style question
Paper 1 style, general parts:
(a) Identify three of the causes of conflict named in the specification. [3 marks, AO1]
(b) Outline two ways in which the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been affected by armed groups or by attempts to bring peace. [4 marks, AO1]
(c) Explain differing reasons why conflict has taken place in one of the three current areas of conflict you have studied. [6 marks, AO1 and AO2]
(d) "Religion is the main cause of the world's current conflicts."
Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks, AO1 and AO2]
Model answer
(a) Any three from: politics (1), resources (1), history (1), culture (1), religion (1). [3]
(b) One way is that the United Nations sent a peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO (1), to help protect people and support peace in the region (1). A second is that DR Congo and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in Washington in 2025 (1), which was an attempt to end the involvement of neighbouring countries in the fighting (1). [4]
(c) In the conflict between Russia and Ukraine there are several reasons. One is political: Ukraine moved towards the European Union and NATO, and Russia opposed this because it says its security is threatened, which led to disagreement over who should decide Ukraine's allies. Another is history, because the two countries share a past in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, and some see it as shared while others see a time when Ukraine was not free. A third is culture, because language and national identity are disputed, which means some people feel strongly Ukrainian and others feel closer to Russia. A fourth is resources, because the industry of the east, the Black Sea ports, grain and energy are valuable to both sides. [6]
Plan for part (d)
For: in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Jerusalem is holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, so religion raises the stakes and makes compromise harder. Religious identity can also strengthen group loyalty, and some believers feel a duty to protect holy places.
Against: in Russia and Ukraine and in eastern DR Congo, religion plays little part, and politics, history and resources matter more. Many believers work for peace, so a religion should not be blamed for what a government or armed group does.
Possible conclusion: religion is a cause in only some conflicts, and works alongside other causes, so the statement is too strong. Add teachings from your own religion on war and peace, and a contrasting view such as a humanist one.
Exam tip
For part (d), name a conflict and say which causes apply there. "Religion plays little part in the war in Ukraine" is stronger than a general claim.