Third World War

Multiple wars as a third world war

In multiple recorded interviews under somewhat casual circumstances, comparing the conflagrations of World War I and II to the ongoing lower-intensity wars of the 21st century, Pope Francis has said, "The world is at war because it has lost the peace", and "perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal". His successor, Pope Leo XIV, reiterated the description during a visit to Turkey in 2025. Additionally, Fiona Hill, has argued that the combination of multiple major conflicts, including in Ukraine and in the Middle East, constitutes a third world war. Polling by Politico found that a majority of American, Canadian, French and British respondents considered it more likely than not that World War 3 was likely to break out within the next five years. Politico cited Russia's invasion of Ukraine and US military action in Iran, Syria, Venezuela and Africa as potential contributing factors.