Contents

SIPRI Yearbook 2023

Contents
Preface
Abbreviations and conventions
SIPRI Yearbook online
Introduction
1. Introduction: International stability and human security in 2022
- I. Food and geopolitics
- II. Great power relations
- III. Arms control and nuclear non-proliferation
- IV. Climate change and environmental diplomacy
- V. The course of the war in Ukraine
- VI. Unanswered questions
Part I. Armed conflict and conflict management, 2022
2. Trends in armed conflict
- Overview
- I. Global and regional trends and developments in armed conflicts
- II. International conflict management and peace processes
- III. Table of armed conflicts active in 2022
3. Multilateral peace operations
- Overview
- I. Global trends and developments in peace operations
- II. Organizations conducting multilateral peace operations
- III. The way forward for multilateral peace operations
- IV. Table of multilateral peace operations, 2022
4. Private military and security companies in armed conflict
- Overview
- I. The global growth of private military and security companies: Trends, actors and issues of concern
- II. Private military and security companies in sub-Saharan Africa
- III. The current regulatory landscape for private military and security companies
Part II. Military spending and armaments, 2022
5. Military expenditure and arms production
- Overview
- I. Global developments in military expenditure, 2022
- II. Regional developments in military expenditure, 2022
- III. Arms-producing and military services companies, 2021
6. International arms transfers
- Overview
- I. Global trends in arms transfers, 2018–22
- II. Developments among the suppliers of major arms, 2018–22
- III. Developments among the recipients of major arms, 2018–22
7. World nuclear forces
- Overview
- I. United States nuclear forces
- II. Russian nuclear forces
- III. British nuclear forces
- IV. French nuclear forces
- V. Chinese nuclear forces
- VI. Indian nuclear forces
- VII. Pakistani nuclear forces
- VIII. North Korean nuclear forces
- IX. Israeli nuclear forces
- X. Global stocks and production of fissile materials, 2022
Part III. Non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament, 2022
8. Nuclear disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation
- Overview
- I. Bilateral and multilateral nuclear arms control involving China, Russia and the United States
- II. The 10th review conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty
- III. The first meeting of states parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
- IV. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear programme
- V. Attacks on nuclear installations in Ukraine and the response missions of the International Atomic Energy Agency
9. Chemical, biological and health security threats
- Overview
- I. Health security
- II. Biological weapon allegations
- III. Biological weapon disarmament and non-proliferation
- IV. Allegations of and reactions to chemical weapon use
- V. Chemical weapon control and disarmament
10. Conventional arms control and regulation of new weapon technologies
- I. The Russia–Ukraine War and conventional arms control in Europe
- II. Multilateral regulation of inhumane weapons and other conventional weapons of humanitarian concern
- III. Intergovernmental efforts to address the challenges posed by autonomous weapon systems
- IV. International transparency in arms procurement and military expenditure as confidence-building measures
- V. The Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation
11. Space and cyberspace
- I. The space–cyber nexus
- II. Space attacks and cyberattacks in Ukraine
- III. Developments in space governance and the impact of the war in Ukraine
- IV. Developments in governance of cyberspace and the impact of the war in Ukraine
12. Dual-use and arms trade controls
- Overview
- I. The Arms Trade Treaty
- II. Multilateral arms embargoes
- III. The role and impact of multilateral trade restrictions on Russia and Belarus
- IV. The multilateral export control regimes
- V. Developments in the European Union’s dual-use and arms trade controls
Annexes
Annex A. Arms control and disarmament agreements
- I. Universal treaties
- II. Regional treaties
- III. Bilateral treaties
Annex B. International security cooperation bodies
- I. Bodies with a global focus or membership
- II. Bodies with a regional focus or membership
- III. Strategic trade control regimes
Annex C. Chronology 2022
About the authors

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SIPRI Yearbook 2023

I. Global and regional trends and developments in armed conflicts

Chapter:: 2. Trends in armed conflict
Source:: SIPRI Yearbook 2023
Author(s):: Richard Gowan

While 2022 was a year of widespread armed conflict, there were variations in the scale, type and causes of conflict-related violence in different regions. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine was the bloodiest war of the year, and the impact on food and energy prices was rapidly felt worldwide. However, it was still a rare, although not unique, example of a classic interstate war between standing armies. The majority of conflicts in 2022 continued to take place within states—or across clusters of states in regions with porous borders, such as the Sahel and the Great Lakes region in Africa—and to involve a mix of non-state armed groups (NSAGs) ranging from transnational jihadist organizations to organized criminal networks. Many countries that suffered from violence faced intersecting forms of instability. Burkina Faso, for example, witnessed both an increase in violence by jihadist groups and two military coups d’état in the course of the year. Given the complexity and diversity of the types of armed conflict between and within different regions, it is hard to generalize about global trends in conflict.

Citation (MLA):: Gowan, Richard. "2. Trends in armed conflict." SIPRI Yearbook. SIPRI. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2016. Web. 29 Apr. 2025. <https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198890720/sipri-9780198890720-chapter-002-div1-016.xml>.
Citation (APA):: Gowan, R. (2016). 2. Trends in armed conflict. In SIPRI, SIPRI Yearbook 2023: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 29 Apr. 2025, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198890720/sipri-9780198890720-chapter-002-div1-016.xml
Citation (Chicago):: Gowan, Richard. "2. Trends in armed conflict." In SIPRI Yearbook 2023: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security, SIPRI. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016). Retrieved 29 Apr. 2025, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198890720/sipri-9780198890720-chapter-002-div1-016.xml

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