This summer our TV screens, newspapers and social media have been filled with international events that have struck a chord with so many people.

The intricacies of geopolitics and foreign affairs often pass us by.

They usually seem, in every sense, remote, and have little impact on us here at home. But this summer has been different.

The shooting down of Malaysian flight MH17 over Ukraine with the loss of so many lives brought the conflict on Europe’s borders back to the top of the news agenda.

The fact that so many innocent people – including a number of Britons – had their lives cut short by a war in which they had no involvement, really struck home.

But those headlines had no sooner faded than our attention turned to another international crisis, in the Middle East. Renewed hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians brought horrific pictures into our living rooms of death and destruction.

Abortive ceasefires came and went, and the international community struggled to come together to find a solution.

However once again the news agenda moves on, and now our news is dominated by Iraq.

What amounts to a civil war is under way there, with a battle for land and power based on the complex web of historical political and religious divides.

Fighting has suddenly intensified, with militants from the group known as the Islamic State making substantial gains in recent months.

This has forced tens of thousands of people from religious minorities to flee their homes.

In particular the plight of the Yazidi people has dominated the headlines, with horrific stories of unimaginable brutality and suffering.

The USA, at the request of the Iraqi government, carried out air strikes and drops of essential supplies in the mountain ranges where the Yazidi have sought refuge.

The UK has joined in with aid flights in the last few nights.

The actions of the militants have been brutal in the extreme, and the effect on the innocent men, women and children has been awful to watch on the nightly news.

Indeed, this has been the common thread running through this summer of international events.

That’s why we have all been affected by what might otherwise seem to be remote conflicts of little immediate significance to our peaceful lives.

When we see civilians – people going about their everyday lives as we do – becoming victims of such brutality, we realise two things.

Firstly, that this is a real conflict involving real people, and the international community must do what it can to help.

And secondly, we realise how fortunate we are to live in a safe, stable and secure country.

Sadly, so many others around the world are not so fortunate this summer.