# What's the oldest current conflict in the world? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 18, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188 "2011-08-18T16:59:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/21 "2011-08-19T02:51:25Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > vi vs EMACs It’s spelled Emacs, and this one isn’t really a conflict because Emacs is inherently superior and reigns victorious. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/22 "2011-08-19T02:53:16Z")
> [@isaiahrobinson](#): > > They don’t include China-Taiwan on that list, even though **MikeS** just said it goes back to 1927. I presume that’s because it has no casualties at all? I’m not sure why the IRA isn’t included either, maybe because the conflict is deemed to be finished? Seems plausible; I don’t think there’s been a casualty of the China/Taiwan conflict since 1958. The “Troubles” are a little less clear-cut; while the main body of the IRA laid down its arms over a decade ago, there have been a couple of murders of police officers and army officers over the last few years by breakaway factions of the IRA. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/23 "2011-08-19T03:44:41Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > Seems plausible; I don’t think there’s been a casualty of the China/Taiwan conflict since 1958. The “Troubles” are a little less clear-cut; while the main body of the IRA laid down its arms over a decade ago, there have been a couple of murders of police officers and army officers over the last few years by breakaway factions of the IRA. The term IRA has been used for a number of organizations, all in the same political continuum but often unrelated over the last 150 years. The Good Friday (or Belfast) Agreement of 1998 is considered by the vast majority of citizens of NI and the Republic to have marked the end of the Troubles that commenced in 1969. I imagine that while Northern Ireland exists there’ll always be some eejit willing to don balaclava and go out and kill people, however I think at some point, since otherwise peace prevails, you have to say the overall conflict has ceased. I believe ETA’s activities in the Basque Country of Spain have been going on for longer than 29 years. ---
**Author:** ![Lestrade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Lestrade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lestrade)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/24 "2011-08-19T17:56:51Z")
Order vs chaos. ---
**Author:** ![Voluble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/4af34b/32.png) [@Voluble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voluble)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/25 "2011-08-20T16:27:51Z")
Islam has been at war with the rest of the world since its founding. Indeed the part of the world not under Muslim control is referred to as Dar al-Harb or the “house of war.” Mohammed was big on the whole converting by the sword and waging war on the infidels thingy. That is still going on today amongst many of his followers. I thought Greek vs. Turk was a good call but they have mostly been at peace… if at odds. But the oldest conflict is between those who would be free and secure in their possessions and those who would control their fellow man or take that which belongs to another by force. That seems to sum up every violent conflict man has engaged in… and it will never end. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/26 "2011-08-20T16:43:58Z")
> [@Voluble](#): > > Islam has been at war with the rest of the world since its founding. I’m not sure what you’re basing this on. You could just as easily say “Christianity has been at war with the rest of the world”; maybe not since its founding, but at least since the forced conversions of the fourth century, which is still centuries older than Islam. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/27 "2011-08-20T17:01:47Z")
Us vs. Them. Circa the beginning of life. ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/28 "2011-08-20T17:32:15Z")
nature vs nurture ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/29 "2011-08-20T18:53:57Z")
The Falklands/Malvinas dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom goes back to 1833. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/30 "2011-08-20T22:54:21Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > Us vs. Them. Circa the beginning of life. those bastards… ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/31 "2011-08-21T00:11:56Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > It’s spelled Emacs, and this one isn’t really a conflict because Emacs is inherently superior and reigns victorious. Now you’ve gone and done it. I have to sic the people that don’t believe Balrogs have wings on you. Or is it the ones that stand on the left of the escalator. Or the ones that won’t take off their shoes when they come into the house. Whichever it is, you’re in for a holy war. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/32 "2011-08-21T01:09:30Z")
We’ve always been at war with Eastasia ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/33 "2011-08-21T02:07:05Z")
Taste Great v. Less Filling since the early '80s ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/34 "2011-08-21T02:19:31Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Greeks Vs Turks? > > They’ve hated each other since oh…B.C.E. Right. Back when the Turks were still living in Siberia. They would have needed ICBMs in that case. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/35 "2011-08-21T04:08:40Z")
Spy vs. Spy ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/36 "2011-08-21T07:55:52Z")
Didn’t the Turks originate from East and Central Asia? Isn’t that different from what makes you (geographically speaking) a Persian, since “Persian” = “Iranian”? Anyway, what about Kurds v. Everyone Else? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/37 "2011-08-21T09:46:43Z")
> [@Satchmo](#): > > Now you’ve gone and done it. I have to sic the people that don’t believe Balrogs have wings on you. Or is it the ones that stand on the left of the escalator. Or the ones that won’t take off their shoes when they come into the house. Whichever it is, you’re in for a holy war. It’s the ones who open their eggs at the big end. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/38 "2011-08-21T11:17:08Z")
Aren’t Japn and Russia still technically at war as they never signed a peace treaty after WW 2? (Fair enough it was the Soviet Union at the time but no treaty was signed). ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/39 "2011-08-22T02:25:33Z")
Free will vs. Determinism Aristotelianism vs. Platonism ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188/40 "2011-08-22T04:31:11Z")
I would have thought the War on Drugs and the War on Poverty would rank pretty high on the list; it would seem they are relatively new comers. In terms of dollars Vs results, my feeling is that they would be well up on the list; if not actually leading it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-current-conflict-in-the-world/593188.md?page=3)