WWIII
Over recent years, I've heard a lot of worrying news about escalating global conflicts.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine marked the first major escalation. Gaza erupted into another bloody conflict. Then 2025 brought the Iran-Israel war and spreading tensions across the Middle East.
At first glance, these appear to be separate regional conflicts. But look closer - they're actually proxy wars between global powers. Ukraine represents Russia versus NATO/USA. The Middle East conflicts are fundamentally about US influence in the region.
We kept seeing signs of escalation:
All the signals were there for a long time, but until you feel it personally, it feels remote.
The new axis: Putin, Xi, and Kim Jong Un at the 2025 Victory Day parade - 80 years after WWII ended, the stage is set for the next one.
That changed with the 2025 Russian drone incursion into Poland, followed by Zapad 2025.
On September 9, 2025, at least 19 Russian drones violated Polish airspace - the first time Poland, or any NATO country, has engaged and downed Russian assets in its airspace since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said "This situation brings us the closest we have been to open conflict since World War II."
Days later, the Zapad 2025 military exercise began - the first such exercise since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Poland closed its border with Belarus, citing national security concerns.
It's different than I imagined, but to me one thing is finally clear - WWIII is already here.
This isn't the conventional warfare of previous world wars. It's a hybrid conflict fought through proxy wars, drone incursions, military exercises on borders, and constant escalation that stops just short of triggering Article 5. The world powers are already engaged - they're just fighting through intermediaries and testing boundaries rather than declaring war directly.
A lot of questions remain in my mind. I think I've accepted the situation logically and am maturing to it emotionally. Given the character of my writing and this once-in-a-lifetime situation, I want to ask one more question - what's the trade?