Cooperation is now a global imperative

Rajdeep Pathak

The Statesman

0
26.04.2026

From early 2025 to now, the world has faced a dangerous new reality. Conflicts between countries are growing rapidly, and many of them are no longer fought only with guns and missiles. Instead, nations are using powerful economic weapons that experts are now calling ‘economic terrorism.’ These tactics include sudden – and calculated – trade bans, harsh sanctions, blocking important supply routes, hacking financial systems, destroying health care systems and deliberately making prices of oil, food, and raw materials shoot up.

As a result, global trade is getting badly disrupted, the cost of everyday goods is rising sharply for common people, and businesses everywhere are struggling. Countries that once worked together for mutual benefit through open globalization are now putting their own national security first. They are forming new alliances based on protection and self-interest rather than friendship or free trade. The consequences are visible everywhere. Global trade is being disrupted, the cost of essential goods is rising, and businesses are struggling to stay afloat.

The era of smooth globalization – built on cooperation and open markets – is giving way to a fragmented world driven by national security and self-interest. Economic terrorism is when a government or group intentionally sabotages another country’s economy to cause chaos and fear. Instead of using traditional weapons, they target things like jobs, trade, and money systems to weaken the nation and force it to give in to their demands. Essentially, it is a way to bully and destabilize a country by making life difficult for its citizens and businesses without necessarily starting a physical war.

Nations and rebel groups often use the global economy as a weapon, creating ripple effects that hurt everyday people. Whether through government sanctions that freeze bank accounts, cyber attacks on power grids, or rebel groups attacking shipping routes to hike up prices, these actions disrupt the flow of goods and energy. By cutting off essential resources like natural gas or slapping high taxes on imports, countries force businesses to move and prices to spike. Ultimately, these tactics – ranging from digital sabotage to physical blockades – lead to higher costs, job losses, and global shortages.

When pirates or armed groups attack ships, ports, and oil pipelines, they make it much more expensive and dangerous to move goods around the world. To stay safe, companies have to pay for extra security or take longer, costlier routes, eventually making everyday items more expensive for everyone. By destroying infrastructure or burning oil fields, these groups don’t just cause immediate damage. They wreck the economy and keep people living in fear for a long time.

Armed conflicts around the world are now at their highest level since World War II. After a relatively calmer period following the Cold War, fights between countries have started rising again. According to a survey by the Council on Foreign Relations, the most serious threats to U.S. interests fall into “Tier I,” meaning they could cause major damage. At the top of this list is the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War, which has worsened with attacks on power plants and key infrastructure, even health, thereby badly affecting everyday life. In the Middle East, the situation is becoming more dangerous.

Fresh violence in Gaza and the West Bank, along with rising tensions between Iran and Israel, is creating severe humanitarian crises, including hunger and displacement, while destabilizing the entire region. What some call the “US-Iran war” is actually a major escalation of a long-standing conflict rather than a short-term crisis. In March 2026, the United States and Israel carried out large airstrikes on Iranian military and government sites, including in Tehran, killing top leaders like Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran responded with missile attacks on Israel and put its forces on high alert.

The U.S. also increased pressure by enforcing a naval blockade in the Persian Gulf and launching further strikes. This situation now looks like an open war, and with peace talks failing in Islamabad, tensions could rise further. Experts say this conflict is driven by a mix of security concerns, ideology, and domestic politics. The U.S. and Israel say their goal is to weaken Iran’s military strength, stop any nuclear weapons programme, and reduce its support for groups like Hezbollah and the Houthis.

However, critics argue that Iran was not an immediate nuclear threat and that diplomatic solutions were ignored, turning the conflict into something closer to a regime-change effort. This war has made the Middle East even more unstable. It has increased attacks by proxy groups, threatened oil supply routes in the Gulf, and raised tensions with other global powers like China. Most importantly, it has led to heavy human suffering and fears of long-term instability in the region. Beyond this, there are “Tier II” risks that are adding to global instability. In Yemen, Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea are disrupting global trade and pushing the country closer to collapse.

In Sudan, the ongoing civil war continues to cause widespread death and instability in nearby regions. In Asia, China has taken an increasingly aggressive approach toward Taiwan, treating it as a core national interest. Instead of launching a direct invasion, it is using ‘gray-zone’ tactics and an ‘anaconda strategy’ to gradually tighten pressure on the island. This includes frequent air and naval incursions, aimed at wearing down Taiwan’s military capabilities over time and weakening the morale of its people. Moreover, North Korea’s continued nuclear weapons development and missile testing have raised serious global concerns. Each test not only heightens tensions in East Asia but also increases the chances of direct or indirect involvement by the United States and its allies, especially given existing security commitments to countries like South Korea and Japan.

This creates a fragile situation where even a minor miscalculation could escalate into a larger conflict. At the same time, Sub-Saharan Africa is witnessing a surge in instability. Regions such as the Sahel and parts of Mozambique are str ug gling with growing insurgencies, weak governance, and economic hardship. Extremist groups have taken advantage of these conditions, leading to increased violence, displacement of people, and a rise in terrorism across borders. Peace today is more of a hopeful idea than a practical reality. The world continues to face conflicts due to political tensions, competition over resources, and deep ideological differences. History shows that peace agreements are often temporary, as nationalism and power struggles keep causing new conflicts.

Even global institutions like the United Nations have struggled to stop crises, while military spending has crossed $2 trillion worldwide. Modern technology, including AI and cyber warfare, has added new risks instead of bringing people together. As economic weapons redefine security, nations must pivot from confrontation to cooperative safeguards, revitalizing institutions like the UN, forging inclusive trade pacts, and investing in cyber resilience.

The world now faces a critical choice. Countries must move from confrontation to cooperation. Strengthening global institutions, creating fair trade agreements, and investing in cyber security are essential. Without bold diplomacy, 2026’s disruptions risk entrenching a divided, impoverished world. Protecting economies isn’t just policy. It is the frontline of survival.

(The writer is Programme Executive, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti.)

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Cooperation is now a global imperative

Rajdeep Pathak

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