2025: when global violence hit the fan

2025 marked a turning point in global conflict — not because violence suddenly appeared, but because it reached a scale, spread, and persistence that now feels like a new normal.In this year-end episode of Conflicts of Interest, Prof. Clionadh Raleigh and Dr Caitriona Dowd look back at what 2025 revealed about political violence around the world. Drawing on data and analysis from ACLED, they unpack where violence was most concentrated, how it evolved across regions, and why civilians faced unprecedented levels of risk.Using ACLED’s global conflict index, we explain how violence is measured — including how dangerous, widespread, fragmented, and lethal conflicts have become — and why these indicators matter for understanding today’s security landscape. The picture that emerges is deeply concerning: more countries experiencing extreme violence, conflicts becoming harder to contain, and distinctions between war, criminal violence, and political unrest increasingly blurred.This episode breaks down the key trends that defined 2025, challenges common assumptions about where and how violence occurs, and asks what these patterns mean as the world heads into 2026.#GlobalConflict #PoliticalViolence #ConflictTrends #GlobalSecurityFor more conversations like this, subscribe to Conflicts of Interest and watch the full episode on YouTube. Conflicts of Interest: https://www.youtube.com/@ConflictsOfInterestACLED📱 Did you know you can follow Conflicts of Interest on TikTok?