Analysis: Nuclear powers entangled in dangerous simultaneous wars

The world is witnessing a dangerous convergence of conflicts directly involving or influenced by nuclear-armed powers creating a strategic atmosphere more combustible than any in up-to-date memory What sets this moment apart is not only the number of flashpoints but also the unprecedented overlap of nuclear states in simultaneous confrontations with limited diplomacy eroding safeguards and rising chances of miscalculation At least five nuclear powers India Pakistan Russia the United States and Israel are actively engaged in or on the edge of combat operations Their involvement is not peripheral It is central direct and often decisive in shaping the pace scope and volatility of each conflict South Asia India and Pakistan The India-Pakistan conflict remains the world s largest part immediate nuclear danger Both countries have fought wars and both maintain live military postures along the Line of Control Pakistan holds a declared first-use protocol while India s traditional no-first-use position is under increasing political and strategic pressure A terror attack such as the latest massacre in Kashmir can trigger military strikes which under high-alert conditions could lead to a nuclear exchange within minutes especially in a cyber-compromised habitat Middle East Israel and Iran Israel an undeclared but widely acknowledged nuclear power is now fighting on multiple fronts against Hamas in Gaza Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen Iran which is inching closer to nuclear weapons capability is entangled in all three theaters through its proxies Read more Analysis V-E Day commemorations underscore Europe s fragile shield in the shadow of Russia s war on Ukraine India s leader Modi touted all was well in Kashmir A massacre of tourists shattered that claim Ukraine accuses Russia of violating its own truce over times as Kyiv ratifies US minerals deal A major Israeli strike or Iranian retaliation could trigger a region-wide escalation involving at least one nuclear state with U S forces in the region potentially drawn in as well Europe NATO and Russia Russia a nuclear superpower is engaged in full-scale war in Ukraine The U S U K and France also nuclear powers are supporting Ukraine with weapons intelligence and strategic coordination The liability of escalation into direct NATO-Russia conflict is rising particularly if an attack breaches alliance territory or if sabotage or misidentification leads to unintended engagement The Global Picture Collectively these conflicts involve states that possess more than of the world s nuclear arsenal Yet global arms control has collapsed Communication hotlines are unused or nonexistent Crisis-management protocols are degraded or defunct The world s nuclear powers are not bystanders they are key players in the present day s the majority dangerous wars In a landscape where errors provocations or misread signals can spiral out of control the nuclear threshold is far closer than it appears This is not Cold War-style brinkmanship it s a multipolar minefield with no safety net Source