Is the world on the brink of World War III? The number of armed conflicts has reached a record high

The situation in the international geopolitical arena is escalating to an unprecedented degree. According to an analytical article published by the influential Financial Times (FT), the number of armed conflicts and military confrontations on Earth today has reached the highest figure since the end of World War II.

Analysts from the International Crisis Group are seriously warning that the risk of clashes occurring in various parts of the world merging at a single point and turning into a total global catastrophe — World War III — is becoming increasingly realistic.

65 active conflicts across the planet: Where is the danger coming from?

According to experts' calculations, a total of 65 armed conflicts are currently ongoing around the world:

• Tensions on the Ukrainian front: Large-scale military operations in Europe have disrupted not only regional but also global security architecture;

• Acute resistance in the Middle East: Direct and indirect clashes between the US and Iran pose a risk of engulfing the entire region;

• Pressure in the Taiwan Strait: Military tensions around the island of Taiwan are raising the risk of a direct military clash between two superpowers — the US and China — to the highest level;

• New geopolitical axis: Military-political rapprochement between Moscow, Beijing, Tehran, and Pyongyang is forming a new center of power against the Western coalition, further strengthening global instability.

  The threshold of global war: Two decisive questions

  Analysts note that whether the world plunges into the whirlpool of a new war or prevents it directly depends on two strategic decisions to be made in the near future:

  • Will Russia attack a NATO country? Such a step would inevitably trigger the alliance's Article 5, leading to an open clash of nuclear powers;

  • Will China embark on reclaiming Taiwan by military means? Due to US security guarantees to Taiwan, this situation would turn into a major naval and air war in the Pacific region.

  It is expected that these two crucial tests will determine the boundary of humanity's security and peace for the coming decades.