Conflicts

Beginning in January 2025, President Trump escalated demands to acquire Greenland from Denmark, refusing to rule out military force. He appointed a special envoy, sent Donald Trump Jr. to Nuuk, and imposed a 10% tariff on Denmark in January 2026. Denmark and Greenland's government firmly rejected the proposals. The crisis has strained NATO, raised questions about US commitment to alliance structures, and intersected with Arctic competition over rare earth minerals, shipping routes, and military positioning. The Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule) gives the US existing military presence on the island.

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, targeting nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, and assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated with hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel and US military bases across the Gulf. The US subsequently bombed military targets on Kharg Island, Iran's primary oil export hub. The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed, oil prices have risen over 40%, and Hezbollah resumed attacks on Israel, escalating into the 2026 Lebanon war. As of March 14, 2026, the conflict is in its 15th day with over 1,400 killed and 18,000 injured in Iran.

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine beginning February 2022. Involves questions of NATO expansion, nuclear deterrence, European security architecture, and the future of the rules-based international order.

On January 3, 2026, the United States launched Operation Absolute Resolve - large-scale military strikes on Caracas using 150+ aircraft and drones, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores via a CIA/Delta Force operation. They were arraigned in New York on narco-terrorism charges. The operation followed months of escalation: Trump designated Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (February 2025), the Cartel de los Soles as an FTO (November 2025), deployed naval forces to strike vessels in the Caribbean (September 2025), and began land strikes on Venezuelan ports (December 2025). Trump stated the US would 'run' Venezuela and send US oil companies to invest billions in Venezuelan oil infrastructure. The operation was conducted without Congressional authorization. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president. The 2024 Venezuelan election had been won by opposition candidate Edmundo González (~67% vs Maduro's ~30%) according to tallies verified by the Carter Center and UN observers, but Maduro refused to cede power.