July 2026: A Dozen Crises Make It One of the Most Dangerous Months Ever

The month of July started in the middle of several difficult, high-risk situations. Over the days, moreover, the situation in most contexts has continued to go from bad to worse so that, as this is being written on July 18, July 2026 has already become one of the most dangerous months ever. One can only hope and pray that the situation becomes better in the coming days of the month. There are at least a dozen worsening and dangerous situations that need to be carefully monitored and high-risks relating to these need to be reduced.

1. First and foremost is the highly dangerous and worsening situation in the context of the Russia-Ukraine War. With the USA under President Trump uniting again with Europe to pursue a more aggressive policy of supporting Ukraine’s military effort, the situation starts looking more like Russia vs. NATO, which of course is a very dangerous situation. As this writer has warned several times, under certain conditions this situation can drift suddenly towards a wider war, or even the Third World War and a nuclear and thermonuclear war that destroys human and other life on an unprecedented scale. Three NATO member countries and Russia have about 11,000 nuclear weapons, including thermonuclear weapons, and if just 10% of these ever get used, this means the end of most life on Earth due to direct and indirect impacts. What is extremely worrying is that peace processes are not progressing at all and instead tension flashpoints are increasing.
2. The Middle East situation has exploded again with the MOUMemorandum of UnderstandingA formal agreement between two or more parties. MOUs are not legally binding but signal the parties’ intent to pursue a common line of action. breaking down and widespread attacks resuming. During the last week (July 11-17) Iran was hit very badly by the USA repeatedly and in Iran’s counter-attacks 9 countries in West Asia have been hit. In addition the situation in Lebanon remains tense and difficult, as does in Syria, while Saudi-Houthi hostilities have returned. Israeli attacks in Gaza continue, as does atrocities against Palestinians in West Bank.
3. The civil war in Sudan continues with its very heavy human costs and there have been major concerns from recent developments. The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly its eastern region, has been similar. The Ethiopia-Eritrea tensions remain high. Above all there is the greater risk of some of the African conflicts merging with each other to cause a larger or wider African War. This can worsen with West Asian powers or other foreign powers supporting opposing sides with resources, weapons and even mercenaries.
4. Many other countries including Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, Greenland, Panama, Myanmar, Libya, Afghanistan and others, have faced increasingly difficult, uncertain and tense situations that have continued to worsen.
5. Several maritime routes have continued to become increasingly risky. This is particularly true for maritime routes used for transporting oil and gas. While the Strait of HormuzStrait of HormuzA narrow, strategically important waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is a crucial chokepoint for global oil shipments. has been in the news repeatedly, more recently with Houthi-Saudi clashes renewed, the Bab el-Mandeb StraitBab el-Mandeb StraitA chokepoint between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, vital for global shipping. may also face higher risks.
6. The South China Sea region has faced increasing tensions with the relations between China and the Philippines coming under increasing strain which may also lead to increasing tensions between China with the USA and its close allies.
7. The forces that want forever wars have been getting stronger. The military-industrial complex of the USA is likely to get stronger with recently reported trends of growing integration with Europe and Israel, and with military budgets of the USA as well as Europe increasing further. Corruption related to this complex is also increasing.
8. The energy crisis for most countries has been worsening with many countries facing increasingly uncertain situations regarding essential energy supplies.
9. The economic crisis has worsened for many countries and a global crisis linked to energy disruptions and expanding wars could emerge. Recent trends in this direction have been highly disturbing. This is worsened by arbitrary trade and tariff decisions, or other arbitrary impositions by the powerful.
10. The worldwide humanitarian crisis has been steadily worsening, while resources to reach the affected people are falling far short of needs. At this very moment millions of affected people including children face a threat to their lives due to denial of life-saving assistance. While the number of those needing urgent assistance was estimated at about 239 million at the beginning of the year, new and worsening wars as well as disasters have increased these numbers, while the UN states it can arrange assistance for only about 87 million of the worst-affected out of the 239 million identified earlier. In some of the worst-affected countries like Afghanistan, Niger and Mali, humanitarian assistance may be available only for about 10 to 15% of those urgently needing it.
11. Climate change has been worsening, while the response (including climate denial by some of the most powerful leaders) has fallen far short of the needs. Thousands of excess deaths caused by heatwaves in richer countries have been reported in recent weeks, while even bigger tragedies in poorer countries remain unreported or underreported.
12. Amid increasing threats to humanity and to other life-forms, the response of many powerful world leaders has been increasingly by arrogance and a refusal to accept the most essential responsibilities. Diplomacy has been undefined increasingly weak and inadequate, while the conduct of international affairs is increasingly characterized by arrogance and arbitrariness, with the most shocking language being used (including profanities) of a kind seldom, if ever, seen or heard before in the conduct of affairs of critical importance at the highest levels. Meanwhile, the UN has been increasingly marginalized.

Clearly, in such a situation, a resurgence of the forces of peace, justice and environmental protection is needed, with people’s movements supported by millions working in cooperation of top scholars, diplomats and experts to achieve major policy changes for peace and for protecting the life-nurturing conditions of the planet.