2025: A Year of Escalation in Global Conflicts

Tue Dec 30 2025 05:31:23 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

John Simpson reflects on the tumultuous year of 2025, characterized by escalating conflicts across the globe, including the Ukraine war and tensions with Russia and China, warning of unprecedented geopolitical implications.

In an insightful retrospective, John Simpson, a seasoned war correspondent, analyzes the alarming events of 2025 which has witnessed three significant wars—Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan. With increasing concerns over geopolitical tensions, he warns that the ongoing conflicts could potentially lead to escalated confrontations on a larger scale, particularly highlighting the precarious relationship between the US, Europe, Russia, and China.

Sensitive content: This article contains a graphic description of death that some readers may find upsetting.

I've reported on more than 40 wars around the world during my career, which goes back to the 1960s. I watched the Cold War reach its height, then simply evaporate. But I've never seen a year quite as worrying as 2025 has been - not just because several major conflicts are raging but because it is becoming clear that one of them has geopolitical implications of unparalleled importance.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that the current conflict in his country could escalate into a world war. After nearly 60 years of observing conflict, I've got a nasty feeling he's right.

Nato governments are on high alert for any signs that Russia is cutting the undersea cables that carry the electronic traffic that keeps Western society going. Their drones are accused of testing the defences of Nato countries. Their hackers develop ways of putting ministries, emergency services and huge corporations out of operation.

Authorities in the west are certain Russia's secret services murder and attempt to murder dissidents who have taken refuge in the West. An inquiry into the attempted murder in Salisbury of the former Russian intelligence agent Sergei Skripal in 2018 concluded that the attack had been agreed at the highest level in Russia.

That means President Putin himself.

The year 2025 has been marked by three very different wars. There is Ukraine of course, where the UN says 14,000 civilians have died. In Gaza, where Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu promised mighty vengeance after about 1,200 people were killed when Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023 and 251 people were taken hostage. Since then, more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military action, including more than 30,000 women and children according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Meanwhile there has been a ferocious civil war between two military factions in Sudan. More than 150,000 people have been killed there over the past couple of years; around 12 million have been forced out of their homes.

In 2025, Russia has invaded Ukraine, kidnapped children, and remains poised for further aggressions—while China observes a potential opportunity for aggression over Taiwan. This complex landscape makes 2026 a pivotal year in shaping global order.

As we move forward into 2026, significant shifts in geopolitical alliances and strategies may unfold which could threaten the established Western alliances, demanding a reevaluation of defense strategies, especially for Europe.