Global Crises and the Risk of Cold War 2.0 |
What the world is witnessing right from the beginning of 2026 is not isolated incidents or happenings, but rather a web of interconnected flashpoints. There is a pattern in all happenings, the US military’s operations in Venezuela, the potential settlement in Ukraine, the ongoing fights in Yemen, Syria, and Afghanistan, and the escalating tensions with Iran.
These events are related by the same causes: fierce competition for resources and strategic chokepoints, the emergence of proxy warfare, the use of regime instability, and the broader struggle for power in a deteriorating unipolar order. To understand this pattern, one needs to see through the Great Power Competition ( GPC) paradigm.
This realist paradigm demonstrates how the United States, Russia, China, India as well and Iran compete for security and dominance, frequently using smaller countries as battlegrounds. This analysis highlights that we are not witnessing an organised, bipolar “Cold War 2.0,” but rather a more dangerous and fragmented multipolar rivalry marked by an elevated risk of unintentional escalation and prolonged global instability. Let us see briefly what is happening and where?
US attacks Venezuela: On January 3, 2026, US troops attacked and detained President Nicolás Maduro, claiming it was a “law enforcement” operation. Critics claim that the change in administration is illegitimate and is affecting Latin American politics as well as the global flow of oil. The battle between Russia and Ukraine is nearing its end. Talks have progressed, and a solution may be achieved as early as 2026. Despite Russian victories and Western security guarantees, engagement is ongoing, but many people remain dubious.
Iran’s riots and potential future violence: Since the United States and Israel struck Iranian........