Questions tagged [armed-conflict]
Questions about a conflict or conflicts either inside a country (commonly known as civil war) or between 2 or more countries (more commonly known as war)
531
questions
-7
votes
0
answers
130
views
Since the end of Cold war,why is it that in every international conflict and regional turmoil, the shadow of the United States can always be found? [closed]
Since the end of Cold war,why is it that in every international conflict and regional turmoil, the shadow of the United States can always be found?What does this phenomenon mean? Can the world achieve ...
- 1
10
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Have UN forces ever successfully defended a region?
One suggested solution for the Gaza strip, once Hamas is eliminated, is to put it under UN control. The suggestion was made by Germany:
“internationalization of Gaza under the umbrella of the United ...
- 3,586
2
votes
0
answers
105
views
What was the selection criteria for people Russia judges in the "Azov trial"?
Based on Western media, it seems to me they are judging pretty insignificant cases like cooks (of the battalion) and what not. I do recall that Russia even exchanged some Azov combat personnel ...
- 144k
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Approximately how many civilian deaths were caused by Bashar al-Assad's regime in the Syrian civil war?
According to Wikipedia, the war started In March 2011, violence in the war peaked during 2012–2017, and the situation still remains a crisis, with 12 million Syrians remained forcibly displaced in the ...
- 2,586
3
votes
0
answers
93
views
Has Israel, or anyone else, confirmed the Hamas claim that some hostages have been killed by Israel's bombing attack?
Hamas says 60 hostages killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza Strip since Oct. 7:
Hamas’s armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, said Saturday that 60 Israeli hostages have been killed in Israeli airstrikes ...
- 6,684
-1
votes
1
answer
244
views
What recourse do international relief workers have if refugee camps where they work are bombed? [closed]
Israel's Netanyahu led government has recently been bombing Palestinian refugee camps:
Nov 01, 2023: Israel’s deadly attack on the Jabalia refugee camp: What we know so far
Nov 02, 2023: Gaza ...
- 6,684
9
votes
3
answers
4k
views
How many Americans support leveling Gaza? [closed]
This is from Oct 11, but oddly of [perhaps more] relevance [these days]:
“Level the place!” the senator said of Gaza in a Fox News interview in mid-October. He appeared to say it was okay to attack ...
- 144k
6
votes
2
answers
173
views
Do negotiations, especially concerning humanitarian concerns, ever include third party "witnesses"?
According to Netanyahu, Hamas refused an offer of fuel for the hospital. Hamas on the other hand claims Gazans don't have fuel for hospitals.
Netanyahu: Hamas refused Israeli fuel offer for Gaza's ...
3
votes
1
answer
192
views
Does international law hold an Army accountable for killings done by other groups during a military attack?
Consider a situation where a country is partially occupied by another. An army unit strikes across a border town of the occupying force. Their military objective is to destroy an enemy defensive unit, ...
- 6,684
4
votes
2
answers
300
views
Has support for providing more help to Ukraine (so they might win the war) tanked in Europe too, after the fizzled counter-offensive of this summer?
Time wrote on Nov 1
Public support for aid to Ukraine has been in decline for months in the U.S., and Zelensky’s visit did nothing to revive it. Some 41% of Americans want Congress to provide more ...
- 144k
10
votes
3
answers
357
views
What methods do experts use to determine if civilian casualties in a conflict are excessive (or not)?
I read (recently) for example that:
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) [...] stressed that such ...
- 144k
1
vote
0
answers
74
views
What is the purpose of observers within a war cabinet?
During the 2023 Israel–Hamas War, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
announced a war cabinet of the following composition.[40][41]
3 full members:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Minister of Defense ...
- 30k
11
votes
2
answers
399
views
Have the UK government explained exactly why a march for peace in Gaza on Armistice Day would be disrespectful?
It is reported that various members of the UK government consider a march calling for peace in Gaza planned in London on Saturday 11 November disrespectful. However, while there are multiple quotes ...
- 3,023
7
votes
1
answer
228
views
What is the status of civilians occupying territories in a war, under international conventions?
Consider wars in which civilian population of an occupying country move into occupied land. For example,
Russian population moving into Crimea, Mariupol or other Ukrainian territories.
Israeli ...
- 1,897
6
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Are there any post-counteroffensive polls in Ukraine on war fatigue?
I don’t think it’s controversial to say that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed this summer, with Russia gaining territory in the eastern part of the frontlines. Have there been any reliable ...
- 52.6k
16
votes
4
answers
4k
views
What benefits does Israel's new "unity government" bring?
Israel was pretty deeply divided politically (most notably over the highly controversial Supreme Court reforms) before the Oct 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas shocked the country.
Shortly thereafter, a Unity ...
- 45.6k
12
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What's the largest death by starvation (estimate) count during a siege in the past 30 years, and what level of condemnation did it receive?
I was able to find out that e.g. during the 2016 siege of Fallujah, which was occupied by ISIS at the time, around 140 civilians starved. The estimate given by Wikipedia seems to come from HRW (which ...
- 144k
-4
votes
1
answer
309
views
What is the difference between a missile and a “rocket”? [closed]
For some reason when people describe the projectiles launched by Palestinian forces into Israel, they refer to them as rockets. But in all other contexts it seems like such would be called missiles.
I ...
- 278
7
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Is there a plausible military purpose for the recent use of white phosphorus in Gaza?
news agencies and human rights groups have suggested Israel may have used white phosophorus in Gaza last week (the week starting Oct 8):
https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/12/israel-white-phosphorus-...
user10094
6
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Why don't/can't Israel unilaterally return Gaza to Egypt?
Why don't/can't Israel unilaterally return Gaza to Egypt? Egypt would have very strong incentives to pacify Gaza since any rockets sent from Gaza would then be seen as act of war by Egypt and motivate ...
- 1,682
2
votes
0
answers
76
views
Has the Israeli left wing also endorsed the calls for Hamas to be killed to the last member?
According to media reports, the center-right part of the Israeli political spectrum has declared that the [ideal] goal of the military operation is to kill Hamas to the last member. Netanyahu and ...
- 144k
0
votes
4
answers
348
views
What action could a Russian citizen take in case of disagreement with authoritarian regime? [closed]
It seems to be a widespread opinion supported by polls that Russian population endorses Putin's regime in general and invasion of Ukraine in particular. Russian citizens are blamed for this in the ...
- 1
13
votes
9
answers
5k
views
Is there any historical evidence of conventional (non-guerilla) warfare techniques defeating hybrid guerilla warfare cost-efficiently?
Pardon my lack of warfare jargon.
Modernization of warfare in the last 3-4 centuries including the use of mobile artillery, tanks, mortars, etc., and relative/approximating implementation of the ...
- 231
12
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Who is the Israeli official that said that Gaza would be reduced to “a city of tents”?
An article in the Washington Post mentions that:
On Tuesday, an Israeli official told the country’s Channel 13 that Gaza would be reduced to “a city of tents.”
I'm trying to understand how serious &...
- 144k
1
vote
0
answers
335
views
What happens if Hezbollah targets the USS aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean? [closed]
The USS Aircraft Carrier Gerald R. Ford has arrived in the Mediterranean in a clear message to Hezbollah or any other party looking to escalate the conflict or widen the war between Israel and Gaza ...
- 127
70
votes
10
answers
16k
views
What is Hamas' strategy in attacking Israel?
Its clear from current events that Hamas can give Israel a bloody nose; it can fire thousands of missiles and send in fighters to kill lots of people. That is more than many expected them capable of, ...
- 20.7k
0
votes
2
answers
409
views
Has the downing of a spy airplane ever been a justifying ground for waging war or causing an escalation that might lead to war?
Both the cause of the collision and the assignment of blame were
disputed. The U.S. government stated that the Chinese jet bumped the
wing of the larger, slower, and less maneuverable EP-3. After
...
- 30k
-3
votes
3
answers
429
views
War "strategism"
I'm just reading an article and I see this sentiment expressed:
Ukraine has been let down by a US-led reluctance to supply Ukraine with the weapons it needs, meaning Kyiv lost a golden opportunity to ...
- 1
-6
votes
5
answers
388
views
What is the answer of Coal and Steel / EU based security framework regarding Russia [closed]
It is postulated many times that the EU was created to prevent a war between large countries of Europe and was successful in doing so:
The European Coal and Steel Community which is designed ...
- 13.8k
11
votes
2
answers
4k
views
According to each of Russia and Ukraine, are Russia and Ukraine officially at war with each other?
My understanding is that while both countries are "obviously" at war, neither country has officially declared war on each other.
So, according to each of (1) Russia and (2) Ukraine, are they ...
- 2,421
6
votes
4
answers
748
views
What are the practical differences between a "special military operation" and a war?
I have read a lot about why Russia wanted to call their invasion a "special military operation" (there were wildly different opinions) and I am now interested in the practical aspects of ...
- 2,518
15
votes
4
answers
8k
views
Why did Ukraine mobilize a relatively small number of soldiers for the war?
As far as I can tell, Ukraine mobilized less than 500 thousand people for the war effort. But given that the war is an existential crisis for the nation, why didn’t they mobilize a few million men in ...
- 52.6k
-6
votes
1
answer
232
views
Does it make sense to nuke the whole planet as a country if you get nuked and you don't know which country nuked you? [closed]
Does it make sense to nuke the whole planet as a country if you get nuked and you don't know which country nuked you?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_assured_destruction
Mutual assured ...
- 30k
8
votes
1
answer
2k
views
"Some 40 countries... on the sidelines of the (Russia v. Ukraine) war were invited to talks... in Saudi Arabia" Who was/wasn't invited? Who declined?
The New York Times' August 5, 2023 Ukraine Starts New Diplomatic Push to Weaken Russia begins:
Ukraine made a renewed push this weekend at a gathering in Saudi Arabia to win the support of dozens of ...
- 16.5k
5
votes
2
answers
292
views
Is there a process for certifying that a signatory to Geneva conventions is a bad-faith signatory?
Geneva conventions create a different (greater) set of obligations, by signatory states, towards the other signatory states than they do towards the non-signatory ones.
This creates an incentive for ...
- 7,868
1
vote
0
answers
159
views
How common have war hawks been throughout history? [closed]
Recent events in the Ukraine war have got me thinking about the psychological profile of a leader like Vladimir Putin, and how that makeup is likely to lead social groups into recurring or ongoing ...
- 197
2
votes
2
answers
504
views
Which countries has the RF designated as maritime warring parties in its war against Ukraine? [closed]
In a verbal exchange conveyed in this tweet (the original is in Russian, but it has English subtitles, which seem accurate), the Russian warship announces to a passing civilian ship
the country under ...
- 7,868
0
votes
1
answer
343
views
Who gained more successes in Iran-Iraq war? [closed]
From the infobox of the Wikipedia article for the Iran-Iraq war:
Result:
Stalemate; both sides claim victory.
Iraqi failure to capture Iranian territories and bolster Arab separatism in Iran's ...
- 433
22
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Is a naval blockade considered a de jure, or a de facto declaration of war?
Let's say that China, or any other country for that matter, is subjected to a naval blockade by the United States, and as a result, China declares war against the United States. Will the diplomatic ...
- 30k
0
votes
0
answers
86
views
Why does the Latin letter Z represent the Russian military in the current conflict in Ukraine? [duplicate]
I do NOT repeat NOT mean to provoke any sort of political discussion with this question! I am simply trying to understand how the letter Z from the Latin alphabet has taken on its current meaning in ...
Henry
20
votes
5
answers
8k
views
How well informed are the Russian public about the recent Wagner mutiny?
The recent mutiny by the Wagner Group, controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin played out in real-time on TV around the world. The Russian people will have watched Putin's statement about the mutiny but how ...
- 2,931
11
votes
2
answers
747
views
Who was allied with Yevgeny Prigozhin?
Who in the Russian ruling elite was behind the late Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group?
Most media accounts do not list his high-level allies, other than Vladimir Putin himself. But ...
- 10.4k
1
vote
10
answers
2k
views
What were the avoidable strategic mistakes that led to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine? [closed]
It is said that conflicts can be avoided by dialogue and dissuasion. I am deeply regretful of the severe and worsening conflict in Europe. I can't help to wonder what steps should have been taken to ...
- 2,955
20
votes
5
answers
8k
views
Are there military arguments why Russia would blow up the Kakhovka dam?
There is a similar question here asking why Ukraine would blow up the dam. Russia, however, controlled the dam and could have blown it up to slowdown the Ukrainian counteroffensive, that was planned ...
- 16.5k
12
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Are there military arguments why Ukraine would blow up the Kakhovka dam?
Today the Dniepro river dam at Kakhovka was breached. It is not obvious which side is responsible. While the Ukrainina side blames the Russians, the Russian side, obviously, blames the Ukrainians. So ...
- 5,985
4
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is there any evidence suggesting or refuting that Russian officials knowingly lied that Russia was not going to attack Ukraine?
Before the Russian full-scale attack on Ukraine, a number of Russian officials made statements to assuage fears of an imminent invasion:
Washington — Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly ...
- 3,535
8
votes
4
answers
756
views
Which pro-Russian movements or parties are still left in unoccupied Ukraine?
I once saw on Telegram a Pro-Russian group called Law and Order or something.
I am asking if are there still some Pro-Russian groups left in unoccupied Ukraine.
- 448
29
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Based on International law, to what extent can Ukraine take aggressive military action within the territory of Russia?
I wonder, based on international law, if Ukraine takes aggressive military action in the territory of Russia, such as occupying some cities of Russia (I am not considering Donbas, Luhansk and Crimea ...
- 4,302
27
votes
8
answers
11k
views
Why does Russia see NATO as an aggressor when the Istanbul document signed by Russia grants each participant the right to chose its allies separately?
The Istanbul document was a declaration signed in 1999 by Russia and Ukraine. Its legal character is similar to that of the Declaration of Human rights.
It contains the following paragraph:
We ...
- 1,044
27
votes
9
answers
7k
views
What can be the reasons or advantages for Russia's candid admission of their own fighter dropping ordnance over Belgorod instead of blaming Ukraine?
Today, a report came up about a Russian attack aircraft dropping ordnance over Belgorod, causing a crater 40m wide in one of the central streets of the city. Some reports indicate that this was an ...
- 568