2025: A Year of Escalating Global Tensions and Conflict

Tue Dec 30 2025 04:21:12 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

John Simpson reflects on the tumultuous year 2025, marked by grave geopolitical conflicts and their implications for global stability, emphasizing the roles of major world powers and potential future scenarios.

In 2025, significant geopolitical tensions have escalated, with multiple conflicts posing serious concerns for global stability. John Simpson, a seasoned war correspondent, warns that the world faces unprecedented challenges as Ukraine and other regions grapple with war, raising fears of potential escalation. The involvement of major powers like Russia and the United States, along with the looming threat from China, reflects a shifting global landscape that could threaten international peace.

John Simpson: 'I've reported on 40 wars, but I've never seen a year like 2025'

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. 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, meaning President Putin himself.

The year 2025 has been marked by three very different wars: the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the violence in Gaza after Israel's response to a Hamas attack, and the civil war in Sudan. Each conflict has resulted in mass casualties, pushing us closer to a potential global confrontation. As we gaze into the future, the landscape appears increasingly unstable, raising urgent questions about our geopolitical and economic strategies as nations reevaluate alliances and their commitments.

In this crucial year, all eyes remain on how these conflicts will evolve, the potential for resolution, and what it means for the future of international relations and stability across the globe.