Anyone hoping for a respite in 2025 from the exhaustion of 2024 was ultimately disappointed. The past twelve months have been a challenging period for international cooperation: the forces of conflict and dispute have grown stronger, while the demise of the U.S.-led world order has become increasingly visible. We can only hope that 2026 brings some positive surprises. But before stepping into the new year, here are the ten most impactful world events of 2025, many of which will continue to unfold into 2026. 1. Trump Upends U.S. Foreign Policy Is keeping promises always a good thing? Trump vowed in 2024 to completely overhaul U.S. foreign policy. He can now say, "Promise delivered." Even before taking office, he began his disruptive actions by declaring his desire to purchase Greenland, make Canada the 51st state, and reclaim control of the Panama Canal. On inauguration day, he withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization, restricted refugee resettlement, and designated drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Within his first month, he began shutting down USAID, ended independent oversight of major federal agencies, and cut government employees. On April 2, he launched "Liberation Day," imposing a 10% tariff on most imports and additional tariffs of up to 50% on specific countries. Trump claimed credit for persuading NATO members to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP and for ending eight foreign wars. However, he failed to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict and, to the surprise of his anti-interventionist supporters, threatened regime change in Venezuela. Earlier this month, he released a National Security Strategy providing a strategic logic for his actions. Critics have lambasted Trump's actions: his tariffs hurt U.S. consumers and producers, his Ukraine peace plan rewarded Russia, many conflicts he claims to have ended are still ongoing, and his gutting of national security agencies has significantly weakened the U.S. government. Yet one thing has become clear: Trump has ended the era of so-called Pax Americana. 2. U.S. Brokers Gaza Peace Plan After two years of brutal fighting, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October. This was the second ceasefire of the year. The Biden administration had negotiated a truce in January, which increased humanitarian aid to Gaza, led Hamas to release 33 hostages, and prompted Israel to release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. But that respite ended in mid-March due to disagreements over extension terms. Trump played a central role in pushing for the October ceasefire, with Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt assisting in mediation. The agreement outlined a three-phase peace plan for Gaza: 1) an immediate ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli security forces to established lines, and a prisoner-hostage exchange; 2) Hamas disarming and the deployment of an international peacekeeping force to Gaza; 3) restructuring Palestinian governing bodies and rebuilding Gaza. The U.S. considers the first phase complete, but Israel insists it will not proceed to the second phase until the last Israeli hostage is freed. The UN Security Council approved the Gaza peace plan in November, authorizing the deployment of an international peacekeeping force and calling for the establishment of a Palestinian committee to manage Gaza's daily governance. However, lasting peace remains elusive. Hamas shows no signs of disarming, Israel has resumed strikes on Gaza, and no country has formally committed troops to the international peacekeeping force. 3. U.S.-Israel Joint Strike on Iranian Nuclear Facilities Some wars are measured in years, others in days. The confrontation between Israel and Iran in June falls into the latter category, dubbed the "Twelve-Day War." The conflict had been brewing for a long time. Israel has long viewed Iran's nuclear ambitions and its support for anti-Israel militias across the Middle East as an existential threat. After the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, Israel struck Iranian proxies in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. These actions weakened Tehran's ability to use the so-called "axis of resistance" to deter Israeli attacks on Iranian soil. In October 2024, Israeli airstrikes destroyed Iranian missile facilities and severely damaged its air defense systems. In June 2025, as Iran approached the threshold of being able to rapidly produce a small number of crude nuclear weapons, Israel launched "Operation Rising Lion." The operation included airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, ballistic missile sites, military bases, and command nodes, as well as assassinations of political figures, military leaders, and nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones at Israel. With U.S. military assistance, Israel intercepted most of the attack waves. Subsequently, on June 22, as part of "Operation Midnight Hammer," U.S. B-2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles struck Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump claimed the attack "completely destroyed" Iran's nuclear program. However, Iran likely dispersed its stockpile of enriched uranium before the bombs fell. Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on June 24. This halted the fighting but left the underlying political disputes unresolved. 4. Russia-Ukraine Conflict Stalemates Now in its fourth year, the Russia-Ukraine conflict continued its grueling war of attrition throughout 2025. Russia intensified its missile and drone campaigns, repeatedly attacking Ukrainian cities and damaging critical infrastructure. In March, Russia recaptured Kursk Oblast, which Ukraine had seized in a raid in August 2024. However, Russian advances on Ukrainian soil were minimal; the amount of Ukrainian territory under Russian control increased by less than 1% in 2025. In June, Ukraine stunned the world by launching a covert drone attack,代号 "Operation Spiderweb," striking five airbases deep inside Russia. However, the raid did not change the fundamental dynamics of the war. Experts debate how long Russia and Ukraine can hold out, although Ukraine's position appears more precarious. Trump insists Kyiv lacks the "leverage" needed to win and continues to oppose increasing U.S. aid. Europe is providing substantial financial and military support to Kyiv, with the EU agreeing to a $105 billion loan at the end of 2025. This should cover two-thirds of Ukraine's financial needs for the next two years. Trump is pressuring Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to accept a ceasefire agreement that many experts believe heavily favors Russia. Even so, Russian President Putin seems intent on securing more gains through a war of attrition. 5. Sharp Deterioration in U.S.-Venezuela Relations In the second half of 2025, U.S.-Venezuela relations sharply deteriorated, becoming one of the most prominent foreign policy crises of Trump's second term. This confrontation, framed as an anti-drug operation, rapidly escalated into a comprehensive "quarantine" of Venezuelan oil exports, sparking international concerns about a potential military conflict. As of December 25, tensions remained high, but full-scale war had not erupted. In August 2025, Trump signed a secret directive authorizing military strikes against Latin American drug cartels. Subsequently, the U.S. deployed a massive naval force to the Caribbean, including aircraft carriers, destroyers, and over 15,000 troops—the largest such deployment since the 1989 invasion of Panama. Trump termed this an "anti-drug war," but critics argued the real goals were regime change and control over Venezuela's vast oil reserves. Starting in September, U.S. forces conducted 28 strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, resulting in over 100 deaths. The operations, conducted without congressional authorization, sparked domestic controversy. On December 10, U.S. forces seized the Venezuelan oil tanker "Skipper" (carrying 2 million barrels of oil), the first such seizure, followed by interceptions of more vessels. Trump announced a "comprehensive blockade" on all sanctioned tankers. In late December, the White House ordered the military to focus "almost exclusively" on the Venezuelan oil "quarantine" for the next two months. Trump privately delivered an ultimatum to Maduro, demanding his immediate resignation with safe passage, but Maduro refused and demanded global immunity. The vessel strikes resulted in over a hundred deaths, and Venezuelan oil exports (accounting for over 90% of foreign exchange) plummeted, causing a backup of tankers in ports. Currently, the blockade continues, with a U.S. naval "fleet" encircling Venezuela's coast, and Maduro has ordered a national military mobilization. Trump stated the operation would be "on a larger scale," but the White House emphasized current priorities are economic pressure, not military invasion. Any confrontation between escort vessels and U.S. forces could trigger a hot war. Experts warn this could repeat the mistakes of Iraq or lead to regional destabilization and a worsening humanitarian crisis (Venezuela already has 7.9 million refugees). Trump hinted that if Maduro does not concede, a shift to ground operations might occur in early 2026. However, opposition within Congress is growing, with some Republicans expressing concern about "endless war." 6. Yoon Suk Yeol Impeached, Early Election Held Democracy is sometimes tested in the most dramatic ways. In 2025, South Korea experienced its most severe constitutional crisis since democratization in 1987: President Yoon Suk Yeol's sudden declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024, which was overturned by the National Assembly within just six hours, triggering impeachment proceedings. The crisis began when Yoon accused the opposition party (Democratic Party) of "legislative dictatorship" and being "pro-North Korea anti-state forces." He ordered troops into the National Assembly and arrested several politicians, attempting to ban political activities. This immediately evoked painful memories of the military junta era, with tens of thousands of citizens gathering overnight to protest. 190 lawmakers (including some from the ruling party) breached the blockade and voted to repeal the martial law order. Yoon revoked the command around 4:30 a.m. In December, the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion, suspending Yoon from office. In January 2025, he became the first sitting president in South Korean history to be arrested, charged with "rebellion." On April 4, the Constitutional Court unanimously (8-0) upheld the impeachment, formally removing Yoon from office—making him the second president impeached and removed (after Park Geun-hye). According to the constitution, a presidential election must be held within 60 days of the office becoming vacant. On June 3, 2025, South Korea held an early presidential election, in which opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was elected by a wide margin, becoming the new president. He took office in June and nominated Kim Min-seok as Prime Minister. 7. India-Pakistan Conflict Erupts In 2000, Bill Clinton called Kashmir "the most dangerous place in the world." In May, two weeks after five terrorists killed 26 people near Pahalgam in the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the simmering tensions between India and Pakistan in the region escalated into open conflict. Foreign media claimed that Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistani terrorist group behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks (which killed 175 people), funded the Pahalgam assault. In 2008, India chose not to retaliate, but this time, it struck alleged "terrorist infrastructure" inside Pakistan. Pakistan responded with drone and missile attacks on Indian military bases and shot down India's most advanced fighter jets, including Rafale aircraft purchased from France. In response, India destroyed air defense systems around the Pakistani city of Lahore. This was the fiercest fighting between the two in half a century, ending with a ceasefire agreed after three days. Trump claimed he mediated the ceasefire, a claim supported by Pakistan's Army Chief Munir but denied by Indian Prime Minister Modi. An immediate consequence of the fighting was a rift in U.S.-India relations, with Trump imposing high tariffs on Indian exports, partly in retaliation for Modi's refusal to acknowledge his mediation efforts. But the underlying hostility between India and Pakistan persists. An unresolved question is whether India's decision to suspend participation in the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty signals an intent to cut off flows from the Indus river system, which supplies 80% of Pakistan's farms. 8. Sudan Civil War Grinds On "Living hell" might be the most apt description for Sudan's nearly three-year-long civil war. The fighting is between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). The two men seized power in an October 2021 coup but ultimately fell out. Neither side has achieved a decisive breakthrough, and combat continues on multiple fronts. The SAF governs from Port Sudan on the Red Sea, controls major cities in the east and north, and is recognized as Sudan's legitimate government. Meanwhile, the RSF controls most of Darfur and other areas in central and western Sudan. Both sides have foreign backers: Egypt, Russia, and Turkey support the SAF, while Chad, Ethiopia, and the UAE support the RSF. The human cost of the war is staggering. An estimated 400,000 people have been killed, and over 12 million displaced. Large parts of the country face famine, with the need for humanitarian aid far outstripping available resources. Fighting was particularly brutal in El Fasher, the last SAF stronghold in Darfur, which the RSF captured in October after an eighteen-month siege. The resulting massacre was so bloody it was reportedly visible from space. The prospects for mediated peace to end the civil war remain dim, and the country's de facto partition has become a likely outcome. 9. Cardinal Prevost Becomes Pope Leo XIV There have been 267 popes in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. Until 2025, none had come from North America, let alone the United States. That changed in May. On April 21, the ailing Pope Francis died suddenly after a stroke, ending his twelve-year pontificate. The Roman Catholic Church then entered a period known as the "interregnum" until a new pope was elected. Following centuries-old tradition, 133 eligible cardinals gathered in Rome for a conclave to elect the next pope. In the first three ballots, black smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signifying no candidate had received the required two-thirds support. On the fourth ballot, the smoke turned white. The conclave had chosen Cardinal Robert Prevost. Prevost, born on Chicago's South Side and a graduate of Villanova University, spent over two decades in Peru, first as a missionary and later as Bishop of Chiclayo. In 2023, he moved to Rome to head the Dicastery for Bishops, overseeing the selection of most bishops, and was subsequently elevated to Cardinal. Prevost became the first member of the Augustinian order to become pope since its founding in 1244. Upon his inauguration, he took the name Leo XIV, in honor of Pope Leo XIII, the author of the 1891 encyclical *Rerum Novarum* which called for improving the condition of the working class. 10. Cambodia-Thailand Conflict Erupts Nations can come to blows even when there is a significant disparity in size and equipment, as exemplified by the conflict that erupted between Cambodia and Thailand in July. Cambodia, with a population of just over 17 million, is militarily far weaker than its neighbor Thailand, which has four times the population. The July fighting was the most severe in decades, ostensibly over a century-old border dispute. Specifically, both nations claim sovereignty over the ancient temple Prasat Ta Muen Thom, located in the Dangrek Mountains on their border. But complex domestic politics in both countries pushed these underlying tensions into open conflict. Initial fighting resulted in dozens of deaths and displaced tens of thousands. Trump intervened, threatening to halt trade negotiations with both countries unless the fighting stopped. The sides then reluctantly agreed to a ceasefire, signing a formal agreement during the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur in late October. However, the agreement did not hold for long. In November, a landmine killed four Thai soldiers, prompting Bangkok to suspend parts of the agreement. Earlier this month, hostilities escalated further when Thai warplanes bombed Cambodian targets. Thailand's new Prime Minister vowed, "If the fighting is to stop, Cambodia must follow the path set by Thailand." This sounded like a prelude to continued conflict.