The resulting proxy wars have had devastating consequences from Syria to Iraq to Yemen. We cannot afford to lose EuropeвЂ™s balancing voice in the world.Д®xacerbated regional rivalries are also transforming the landscape, as is particularly evident in the competition between Iran and the Persian Gulf countries for influence in the Middle East. The potential unraveling of the European Union is one of the greatest challenges we face today - a fact that is lost amid the many other alarming developments competing for attention.

Nationalist forces have gained strength, and upcoming elections in France, Germany, and the Netherlands will test the future of the European project. political posture is compounded by the messy aftermath of Brexit. hard power, when not accompanied and framed by its soft power, is more likely to be perceived as a threat rather than the reassurance that it has been for many. Today, we can no longer assume that a United States shaped by вЂњAmerica firstвЂќ will provide the bricks and mortar of the international system. But Obama worked to shore up international institutions to fill the gap. The retrenchment of Washington, for both good and ill, began during Barack ObamaвЂ™s presidency. That order was in flux even before Trump won the election. But the vision of a cooperative international order that emerged after World War II, championed and led by the United States, has structured relations between major powers since the end of the Cold War. The last 60 years have suffered their share of crises, from Vietnam to Rwanda to the Iraq War. Who knows? And that is precisely the problem. Will he cut a deal with Russia over the heads of Europeans? Will he try to undo the Iran nuclear accord? Is he seriously proposing a new arms race? Already, jittery allies from Europe to East Asia are parsing TrumpвЂ™s tweets and casual bluster. But one thing we do know is that uncertainty itself can be profoundly destabilizing, especially when it involves the most powerful actor on the global stage. Much has been said about the unknowns of TrumpвЂ™s foreign-policy agenda. It is against this backdrop that Donald Trump was elected the next president of the United States - unquestionably the most important event of last year and one with far-reaching geopolitical implications for the future. Even in peaceful societies, the politics of fear is leading to dangerous polarization and demagoguery. From the global refugee crisis to the spread of terrorism, our collective failure to resolve conflict is giving birth to new threats and emergencies. The sharp uptick in war over recent years is outstripping our ability to cope with the consequences.

The world is entering its most dangerous chapter in decades. Middle East & North Africa View Program.TurkeyвЂ™s PKK Conflict: A Visual Explainer.The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: A Visual Explainer.Conflict in UkraineвЂ™s Donbas: A Visual Explainer.The Climate Factor in NigeriaвЂ™s Farmer-Herder Violence.How Climate Change Fuels Deadly Conflict.How YemenвЂ™s War Economy Undermines Peace Efforts.Crime in Pieces: The Effects of MexicoвЂ™s вЂњWar on DrugsвЂќ, Explained.Rough Seas: Tracking Maritime Tensions with Iran.

The Covid-19 Pandemic and Deadly Conflict.

World in conflict game icon