It's just nation states jockeying for position, and citizens are the pawns.

Which one?

As of the current information available, there are a total of 42 ongoing conflicts worldwide, categorized based on the number of combat-related deaths in a current or past calendar year:

1. **Major Wars** (10,000 or more combat-related deaths): There are 7 such conflicts [oai_citation:1,List of ongoing armed conflicts - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ongoing_armed_conflicts#:~:text=,2%5D%E3%80%91).

2. **Wars** (1,000–9,999 combat-related deaths): 14 conflicts fall into this category [oai_citation:2,List of ongoing armed conflicts - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ongoing_armed_conflicts#:~:text=%23%23%20Wars%20%281%2C000%E2%80%939%2C999%20combat,44%5D%E3%80%91).

3. **Minor Conflicts** (100–999 combat-related deaths): There are 21 conflicts that are classified under this category [oai_citation:3,List of ongoing armed conflicts - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ongoing_armed_conflicts#:~:text=%23%23%20Minor%20conflicts%20%28100%E2%80%93999%20combat,current%20or%20past%20calendar%20year).

These numbers provide an overview of the intensity and scale of armed conflicts around the globe as of the latest data.