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A world in turmoil awaits Donald Trump in 2025

In his contempt for allies, the new president will probably add to the chaos

Collage of Trump's face being covered  by a world weather storm
Illustration: Mark Harris

By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic editor, The Economist

To understand the forbidding world that Donald Trump will confront, open the 75-page report of a bipartisan commission on national security, published in July. “The threats the United States faces are the most serious and most challenging the nation has encountered since 1945 and include the potential for near-term major war.” America may have to fight several regional conflicts at once, which could merge into a global one. The country, the commissioners said, is not ready for such wars. Worse, Americans are scarcely aware of how the world around them is darkening.

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This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2025 under the headline “A world in turmoil”

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