The conflict in the Middle East is escalating more and more. With the attack by Iran on Israel, although this was the first, the effects could be enormous. As for the war with Hamas in Palestine, Israel no longer has the same international support as it did at the beginning. Many protests can be seen taking place around the world, although this does not mean that the whole country is against Israel, but it does make many citizens take a neutral stance. The whole world has condemned the Hamas attack on Israel. The magnitude of violence that is being used is rarely documented, but in this case, social media has been able to illustrate the barbarity committed by Hamas. In addition, it is also true that Hamas, like a coward, hides behind civilians and thus causes a lot of suffering among their own people.

Despite all this, the world is still asking Israel to back down and stop so much unnecessary loss of life. Israel, for its part, says that it must finish with Hamas now, otherwise in the future it will raise its head again and attack Israel. Here we can see that the support for this war is becoming less and less. In the attack by Iran, the United States has already said that it will not contribute to attacking Iran together with its long-time ally. The reason is that this could cause more Arab countries to join Iran, which would turn it into a much larger conflict. A situation that the US surely does not want to get involved in. On the other hand, abandoning its ally at a time when it is being attacked from all sides could be considered very low.

What does this mean for Aruba?

In today’s world, it is difficult to think that war is far from us and we are safe. There are many factors that we must take into account, such as the effect on the price of oil. A war in this region would almost certainly mean an increase in prices and we already know that when gasoline goes up in Aruba everything becomes expensive and never goes down again either. The next big factor to consider is if the US enters such a conflict, our tourism industry from the US could be affected, with all the economic consequences for our island.

As we all know, Aruba imports almost everything from abroad and this could be affected on a large scale. The war between Russia and Ukraine is not over either, so much of Europe, including the Netherlands, is very concerned, which could also have an effect on our island. Everything shows that this war is not going to end so quickly either, so if the Netherlands’ economy is affected, we must bear in mind that this could also have an effect on Aruba. The third conflict that could start is the one between China and Taiwan, which would automatically involve all countries in the neighborhood. If we analyze the current situation well, very quickly we can find the world powers, which are the US, Russia and China at war and with the US allies, NATO and the European Union and Israel also involved.

Factor Donald Trump

This year the US will go to the polls to choose its next president. A strong candidate for this remains Donald Trump, even though he is going through a lot of legal trouble, he is still extremely popular. In case Trump wins the election, the Trump factor in the world scenario will surely be one that worries many. Because if there is something that this president has shown, it is that he does not shy away from any conflict and will not hesitate to use all of the US’s military power. Aruba is not far from this conflict, we must be prepared in case we are affected and we cannot wait for the government to do something, prepare for yourself!

Possible Effects on Aruba

• Increase in the price of oil
• Decrease in tourism from the US
• Disruptions to imports
• Economic instability in the Netherlands

What to do to Prepare

• Stock up on food and water
• Have a plan for how you will communicate with your family and friends
• Be aware of your surroundings and stay informed about the latest developments
• Consider purchasing travel insurance

It is important to note that these are just potential effects and the actual impact of a world conflict on Aruba is impossible to predict with certainty. However, it is always a good idea to be prepared for any eventuality.