It’s hard to keep up with the news, especially when it’s not good news. Many people would rather not try to follow what’s going on around the world because of how surreal and impossible these issues are to grasp. From issues like the Russian-Ukraine conflict and the impending climate crisis, it is still important to have some knowledge of what’s going on around the world.
For instance, within the last two weeks, North Korea launched six missiles, two of which have flown over Japan. They followed hours after the US and South Korea concluded naval drills off the Korean Peninsula.
Many countries see North Korea’s acceleration of weapons as a threat to regional and international security and peace. After having pursued missile and nuclear tests in defiance of UN sanctions, the US redeployed an aircraft carrier, which according to South Korea is unusual. In addition, the US imposed new sanctions on two Singapore companies and an entity registered in the Marshall Islands for illicit ship-to-ship transfers.
These missile tests cause concerns globally as many worry that it will lead to the nation’s seventh nuclear test. They are also still unsure of whether these missiles were launched from the sea. If so, such become harder to detect in advance.
In other news, gas is pouring from Nord Stream pipelines that run under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. These ‘unprecedented’ leaks are the results of powerful underwater explosions. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson believes they were likely from deliberate action.
Although gas flow has relatively lessened due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and fears of reliance on Russia. Gazprom, a Russian majority state-owned energy corporation, cut supplies to several European countries over their refusal to pay for gas in rubles rather than euros or dollars. Many European leaders have described these demands as blackmail. This has evidently caused the energy crisis in Europe to worsen due to shortage.
There continues to be speculation about what caused these explosions; any evidence of an attack will cause major geopolitical consequences.
So, what does this all mean? Is World War 3 a possibility?
Although it seems farfetched, Ukraine is closer to becoming a member of NATO, if so, Russia’s invasion will then be considered a global threat. And with conflicts like these, the possibility of another war is looming.
In fact, in January 2020, the internet responded to a claim that former President Trump wanted to bring back the draft. Jokes and memes trended as many coped with the possibility, but luckily that was only a rumor. However, now when geopolitical conflicts arise and weapons are threatened, it is hard to not think of what could happen.
Tweet us, @VALLEYmag, what do you think this all means?
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