The 2025 Global Peace Index is out, and it’s an indictment of decades of Western softness, strategic incoherence, and the left’s obsession with “dialogue” over deterrence. We are witnessing not just a decline in peace, but a systemic fragmentation of global order. “The Great Fragmentation” isn’t merely a trend, it’s the death rattle of the post-war liberal consensus.
A New World Disorder
There are now 59 active state-based conflicts, the highest since WWII. Over 152,000 deaths were recorded in 2024 alone. Peace, they said, was the future. But reality has come calling, and it carries drones, missiles, and regional power rivalries sharpened by years of permissiveness.
The number of countries wielding geopolitical influence has tripled since the Cold War. 34 nations now project power beyond their borders. And who are these new players? Not your enlightened democracies, but assertive, often authoritarian powers: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India, Brazil, Israel, countries that understand sovereignty and the necessity of force.
The Cost of Idealism
Global violence cost the world $19.97 trillion in 2024 — yet peacekeeping? A mere 0.52% of military spending. Why? Because no one believes in blue helmets anymore. The UN is outdated, NATO is fractured, and Western governments are too busy policing speech and gender identities to deal with real enemies.
Europe, with its pacifist delusions and demographic decline, watches from the sidelines as Russia and China reshape the map. France and the UK, once titans, now struggle to maintain relevance. The U.S. still holds the upper hand militarily, but internal divisions and woke rot threaten its resolve.
The Technology Equalizer
Warfare is no longer the domain of superpowers. In 2025, over 200 companies manufacture drones. Ukraine alone will produce 2.5 million drones this year. The battlefield is now digital, cheap, and asymmetric. A $300 drone can destroy a $3 million tank.
This new warfare empowers militias, terror cells, and rogue states. It’s a game-changer. Conflicts are longer, bloodier, and increasingly impossible to resolve with old tools. Welcome to the era of forever wars, where victory is replaced by containment, and stability is just a PR illusion.
Conservative Clarity in a Fractured Age
The left clings to its dying narrative of “global governance” and “diplomacy-first”. Meanwhile, the world burns. From Kashmir to the Sahel, from Gaza to South Sudan, the lesson is simple: peace without strength is surrender.
What the GPI 2025 truly tells us is that the global stage belongs to those willing to act, not negotiate endlessly. Middle powers with muscle, clear national identity, and unapologetic interests will define this new age. The West must choose: rediscover its spine or continue its decline.
