India, Jan. 5 -- Have you seen the pictures of handcuffed Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, seized by American forces? Isn't it reminiscent of the tragic images of December 2003, in which the handcuffed Iraq president Saddam Hussein looked shocked and dejected? Maduro is an elected president of a sovereign nation. Are international laws and the United Nations subservient to the whims of US presidents? Hussein was hanged but then US President George W Bush couldn't prove a single charge against him. Will Maduro be the next victim of US falsehood? Donald Trump's invasion of Venezuela is scary. I say this because, like Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin also wants to arrest his Ukrainian counterpart, President Volodmyr Zelensky. His wish hasn't been fulfilled yet, but his forces have already annexed a large part of Ukraine. Russian forces are constantly advancing on Ukrainian soil, and Kyiv's situation is now precarious. On New Year's day, Russian officials claimed 91 Ukrainian drones were directed at Putin's residence. Kyiv denounced the claims, but Moscow is hell bent on its "right" to exact revenge. It may not be too far-fetched to expect a repeat of the drama of Caracas in Kyiv. Trump's US attacked Venezuela on the pretext that the latter's president shelters drug-lords who are on a par with designated terrorists. Trump conveniently forgets America's close friend Pakistan has not only provided safe haven to terrorists such as Masood Azhar and Osama bin Laden, but has the capacity to create many such terrorists and terror outfits. Putin too claimed Zelensky was a fascist when he attacked Ukraine in 2022. Such absurd justifications are offered before defining global events. The present global instability is a gift of such lies. The latest Global Peace Index (GPI) report suggests that 78 out of 193 nations today are embroiled in some kind of conflict. This is the first time since World War II when so many nations are fighting each other. There are 17 unfortunate nations that have lost more than 1,000 citizens each in 2025 to conflict. If we include countries with 100 or more fatalities, the number of nations jumps to 40. I am purposefully desisting from mentioned West African nations such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad here. They have been in the grip of raging conflict for decades. Today, even supposedly peaceful nations such as Cambodia and Thailand are at each other's throat. On December 13, Thailand used US F-16s to bomb Cambodia, killing 11 people. The GPI report also says that 84 nations have raised their defence budget over the last six years. The list includes nuclear-armed nations too. In 2023, their defence budget had reached 11.6% of their GDP. As a result, globally, the expectation for peace has diminished by 0.3%. The Russia-Ukraine war has entered its fourth year. It hasn't just affected both countries, but has also rattled all of Europe. Denmark is repairing its air-raid shelters of World War II vintage even as it negotiates deals to procure deadly new weapons. Sweden is following the same path. Not a day passes in Europe when a leader or general doesn't express concerns about possible Russian attacks. European nations have been forced to increase their defence spending ever since Trump imposed bigger funding responsibilities on Europe when it came to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato). Its effect is visible in the weakening of global welfare schemes due to lack of funds. Similarly, economic growth is sliding. In 2025, the global growth was pegged at 2.3%, the lowest since 2008. Pakistan has always been a rogue nation, but its recent posturing has forced India to prepare for war. We face another threat from China, which maintains an adversarial posture and has a far deeper pool of resources and military capabilities. Indeed, the first chief of defence staff, General Bipin Rawat, had said we should be prepared to fight a two-front war. Recent incidents in Bangladesh and the support from Islamabad and Beijing are raising new concerns and adding to the volatility. Bangladesh has witnessed assassinations of prominent student leaders. Every death leads to more chaos and shrill anti-India rhetoric. Who is fomenting trouble in our neighbourhood? Our world is moving away from peaceful disagreements and border agreements to an era of alienation and conflicts. If 2025 offered a lot, then 2026 poses challenges of war. Will we find solutions to these problems or aggravate them by our actions? The answer will decide the fate of the world sitting on a powder keg....