Opinion | Is the world on the brink of total war?

As 2024 draws to a close, the world is undergoing a volatile transition marked by escalating conflicts, worsening climate disasters, frightening technology disruption and growing social protests.

I was so absorbed by Donald Trump’s presidential victory in the United States that I missed the news that the German coalition government had fallen apart. Then, earlier this week, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol did the unthinkable and declared martial law, which was thankfully reversed by lawmakers.

In the same week, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier lost a vote of no confidence after pushing for an unpopular budget that lacked support from parliament. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden pardoned his son. Such political crises are unfolding even as US markets and bitcoin hit record highs.

What is going on? Wars are raging in Ukraine, Gaza, Syria and Central Africa. Armed conflicts are escalating towards total war. The First World War, which bankrupted Europe and weakened the British Empire, lasted four years from 1914 to 1918. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has had devastating consequences for both nations and the future of European security.

After Biden approved the use of long-range US missiles for Ukraine to attack targets inside Russia, the Kremlin unleashed a new medium-range ballistic missile in retaliation. While the Russian missile is non-nuclear, these escalations still raise the possibility of nuclear war.