A ‘Piecemeal World War III’ New Challenges for Diplomacy and International Law
The phrase Terza guerra mondiale a pezzi (Piecemeal World War III) was coined by Pope Francis in 2014 to describe the fragmentation of global conflicts. In his view, this was not a single major confrontation, but rather a series of interconnected local wars and crises creating a picture of global instability. Though taking place in different parts of the world, these conflicts are linked by the arms race, the fragility of international organizations, and transnational migrations. As is well known, the most emblematic cases are the wars in Ukraine and in the Gaza Strip. However, there are fifty-four other active armed conflicts around the world, such as the Congo, Somalia, Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger), Haiti, Myanmar, and Sudan, often unreported by the media. This seminar shows how modern diplomacy addresses the current crisis; how international law deals with new issues of particular legal complexity; and the Holy See quest for world peace.