December 29, 2025
War and memes, choose your fighter
John Simpson: 'I've reported on 40 wars but I've never seen a year like 2025'
Internet divided: WW3 vibes, media hype, and DIY drones clowning superpowers
TLDR: John Simpson warns 2025 feels dangerously close to global conflict, with Russia posturing and multiple wars raging. Commenters split: some declare the U.S.-led peace era over, others say it’s just more cameras and louder headlines, while a snarky crew mocks Russia’s struggles against cheap drones.
Veteran war reporter John Simpson says 2025 is the most worrying year he’s ever seen, pointing to Ukraine’s warning of a world war, NATO’s fear over undersea cables, and Putin’s “we’re ready right now” bravado. But the comments are an absolute firefight. One camp goes full doom: “Welcome to the end of Pax Americana,” writes DustinEchoes, seeing Trump’s boastful “I’m good at solving wars” line and Putin’s flex as a sign the world’s peace era has officially clocked out. Another camp pushes back, arguing it’s more visibility, not more risk. As mvkel puts it, we now live-stream every threat—this isn’t necessarily a uniquely dangerous time, it’s just the loudest.
The spiciest thread blames the media: zkmon says sensational coverage actually fuels conflicts, claiming some fights “would have been small local” if they didn’t get spotlighted. Then the meme squad rolls in: beepbooptheory points out Russia’s slog in Ukraine, getting stung by homemade drones, and snarks, “Why is anybody supposed to be scared of them?” Meanwhile, neilv wonders if Putin’s “henchmen” bluster is a shield—make the successor look worse so he seems reasonable. The vibe: panic vs perspective, with jokes about “Pax Americana DLC expired” and “doomscrolling Olympics” keeping the thread buzzing. Read Simpson’s piece here
Key Points
- •John Simpson describes 2025 as unusually perilous, with risks of global escalation centered on the Ukraine war.
- •NATO is monitoring potential Russian threats to undersea cables, drone incursions, and cyberattacks on state and corporate systems.
- •An inquiry into the 2018 Salisbury poisoning found the attack was approved at Russia’s highest level; Simpson infers this implicates President Putin.
- •The year’s major wars include Ukraine (~14,000 civilian deaths per UN), Gaza (>70,000 Palestinian deaths reported by Hamas-run health ministry; UN deems figures reliable), and Sudan (>150,000 deaths; ~12 million displaced).
- •US President Donald Trump claims to have negotiated a Gaza ceasefire reducing fatalities, while Putin signals readiness for conflict if Europe chooses it.