Places where war could escalate or break out in 2026

Many unforeseen conflicts broke out, escalated, and concluded in 2025. This year is set to follow that same pattern.

The previous year was marked by the tentative conclusion of the war in Gaza, a brief but dangerous war between Israel and Iran, a brief war between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, and the continued onslaught of the Russia-Ukraine War. 2026 began with a bang, to boot, with the extraordinary capture of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, and the future of the Latin American state is by no means a foregone conclusion.