John Simpson: 'I've reported on 40 wars but I've never seen a year like 2025'

Perceived Uniqueness of 2025

• Several commenters say this period feels closer to a world war than anything since WW2: overlapping crises, nationalist governments in Europe, US “civil war” rhetoric, regional wars, and economic stagnation.
• Others argue similar or greater risks existed before (Cold War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Gulf War), but memory and hindsight downplay them.

Role of Media and Visibility

• One view: what’s “different” is not risk but visibility—real‑time global coverage of every skirmish, speech, and cyber incident.
• Pushback: people were very aware during Vietnam and the Cuban Missile Crisis; mass media and drills made risk tangible then too.
• New factor highlighted: unfiltered, on‑the‑ground footage from ordinary people, not just state or network gatekeepers.
• Some argue media sensationalism and “performing for the cameras” can actually scale up conflicts that would otherwise stay local.

US, Europe, and Ukraine

• Disagreement over whether the US would really fight for Europe under current leadership; some see deep Russian influence and isolationism.
• Debate on whether the US “promised” to defend Ukraine: legalistic reading of the Budapest Memorandum (assurances, not guarantees) versus a moral/political understanding that disarmament created an obligation.
• One camp says US and Europe have been timid, undermining deterrence and encouraging nuclear proliferation.
• Others argue there are rational limits: avoiding nuclear war and economic ruin; some think Europe should take primary responsibility and use the war to deepen integration.

Assessing Russian Power

• Some note Russia’s slow, attritional campaign against a smaller Ukraine as evidence they aren’t a conventional superpower.
• Others warn against underestimation: Russia tolerates huge casualties, has advanced drone warfare skills, and still holds a large nuclear arsenal; even a single functioning weapon is catastrophic.
• Ukraine is framed as a serious, well‑armed, prepared military power, not a weak proxy, which explains Russia’s difficulties.

Middle East Escalation Debate

• One commenter uses Israel’s strikes across the region as an example of wider militarization; others object that “attacking all their neighbours” is an unfair exaggeration and rhetorically dangerous.
• The argument devolves into whether precision of language matters when describing patterns of force projection, with concern that repeated one‑sided framings fuel polarization and violence.

Civilian Casualties and UN Figures

• Discussion of UN‑reported civilian deaths in Ukraine: several say official numbers are known undercounts because occupied areas are essentially unmonitored.
• Comparisons drawn with Gaza: some see asymmetrical standards, or political bias, in how deaths are counted and framed.
• One line of argument: if Gaza‑style counting were applied to Ukraine (including military and unverified deaths), total casualties there would likely be far higher than reported.

Globalization vs Localism

• One perspective: for many rural populations, which elite controls the capital matters little; Western responses are more about Western media than local needs.
• Others counter with examples: rural Ukrainians under bombardment, persecuted rural Chinese communities, devastated agriculture in Gaza, and rising costs in rural Britain all show global politics directly harming local life.
• Debate over whether a truly “local” economy could insulate people: critics argue modern infrastructure, healthcare, and tools are inseparable from national and global systems.

Autocracy, Democracy, and Public Opinion

• Concern that “World War Three” may manifest more as creeping autocracy than open global battles.
• Some note patterns: charismatic strongmen, short voter memory, and repeated susceptibility to new “cults of personality.”
• Others suggest overreach in wars has historically destabilized Russian regimes and might eventually do so again.

Meta: Moderation and Bias

• Some claim political threads like this get flagged by pro‑Russia users or those nominally “against politics.”
• Noted asymmetry in how discussions on different conflicts (Ukraine vs Gaza) are tolerated or promoted on platforms.