The world on the brink of crisis: American leadership, three war fronts and the dark shadow of global catastrophe

Special Report by Malik Sarfaraz Hussain Awan: The world's only superpower, the United States, re-elected Donald Trump as president in the 2024 elections, and Trump's second term, starting in January 2025, is causing severe conflicts and economic pressure on the global level under the "America First" policy. At the end of February 2026, joint air operations by the United States and Israel began direct attacks on Iran, which has plunged the Middle East into the flames of full-scale war, and despite the passage of a month, this war continues, resulting in the death of thousands of innocent people and the global economy suffering the most severe setbacks, while President Trump's unilateral cancellation of the Iran nuclear deal in his first term, the closure of the US embassy, The transfer of Jerusalem and the policy of complete and blind support by Israel have actually formed the basis of today's horrific crisis that has fueled instability in the Middle East, and Trump's trade war with China, distrust of NATO allies, and the selfish strategy of "America First" have badly affected the balance of global power, resulting in new and escalating conflicts. The world is currently fighting on three major fronts simultaneously. On the first front, Russia's invasion of Ukraine since 2022 is still in its fourth year. In March 2026, Russian forces launched a regular spring and summer offensive, in which, according to Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrsky, an average of hundreds of attacks were carried out in 24 hours between March 17 and 20 alone, and thousands of soldiers were killed and injured. Although Ukraine has also taken some counterattacks and drone strikes on Russian oil facilities have But the continuous supply of weapons by the US and Western allies is prolonging this war and completely paralyzing the European economy and supply chain. On the other major front, on February 28, 2026, the US and Israel launched large-scale air strikes on Iran under 'Operation Epic Fury' and 'Roaring Line', targeting Iran's nuclear and missile infrastructure, killing several high-ranking officials. In response, Iran fired retaliatory missiles at Israel and US bases, including Gulf countries, which has now spread to Lebanon and seriously jeopardized the security of peaceful and economically stable Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Similarly, as a third major maritime crisis, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have threatened to attack ships in the Red Sea, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has affected a large part of global trade, forcing shipping companies to take longer routes. This crisis has destroyed the global supply chain and caused Brent crude oil prices to plummet. Crude oil prices have risen from $105 to $118 per barrel in March 2026, which is causing a devastating storm of inflation in poor and developing countries. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also warned that if these wars continue, global economic growth will be severely affected and developing countries, including Pakistan, will suffer from severe starvation and poverty. Therefore, according to impartial analysts, the current US leadership does not seem to have a clear strategy to get out of these crises and the decisions seem to be based on temporary reactions and panic. If the major powers do not immediately set the table for negotiations, the threat of a third world war could be very real. And since history is witness that when leaderships fail, public protests always become a source of major change, it is time for the American people to stop waiting for the next elections in 2028 for the sake of their country's declining global reputation and the survival of humanity, and to act today. Let's take to the streets and start a peaceful but vigorous protest movement because if they continue to remain silent spectators, future generations will never forgive their silence. Finally, the international community, especially Pakistan, and all developing countries should learn a hard lesson from this crisis that the weak always bear the brunt of the selfishness of global powers. Therefore, there is an urgent and urgent need to restore peace, make vigorous diplomatic efforts, and make balanced policies to save the world so that humanity can be prevented from falling into the pit of this horrific disaster.