REVEALED: How many Americans think the world is edging toward WWIII
With weeks until 2025 and a new occupant ready to move into the White House, the global diplomatic situation appears to be at its most fragile in decades.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to fire the deadly Oreshnik missile at Ukraine, claiming it is so powerful it would make nuclear weapons “obsolete.”
He has also consistently warned the West of a strong response if it continues to arm Ukraine, while the US has promised $1 billion in new security aid.
The Middle East appears to be on the brink of a broader conflict as the war between Israel and Hamas enters its second year and China becomes increasingly belligerent toward Taiwan.
In each of these scenarios, the prospect of World War III is not the distant reality it has seemed in recent years.
Although the majority of Americans still believe the odds are slim, the bleak outlook is not lost on many.
A DailyMail.com poll shows that almost four in ten voters fear a global conflict is on the horizon.
DailyMail.com pollsters JL Partners asked 1,006 voters whether they think the world is getting closer or further away from the war in Ukraine escalating into a full-blown global conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to fire the deadly Oreshnik missile at Ukraine, claiming it is so powerful it would make nuclear weapons “obsolete.”
Thirty-eight percent of respondents said we are “getting closer” to all-out war, while 26 percent said there has been “no change” and 20 percent said we are “moving further away.”
Seventeen percent say they are ‘unsure’.
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end the war in Ukraine and talks of peace talks have become more promising since his election victory.
The poll also asked who would be to blame if Putin were to launch nuclear missiles.
Only half of Americans (51 percent) said the Russian leader would be solely to blame, while 27 percent said they would blame Joe Biden.
A handout video made available by the Russian Ministry of Defense press service shows a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile being launched as part of nuclear deterrent force exercises from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Arkhangelsk Oblast, northwestern Russia, 29 October 2024
Despite the controversy, voters in the poll narrowly support the US allowing Ukraine to use US missiles for longer-range attacks
In mid-November, the commander-in-chief authorized Ukraine to use Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, that could strike deep inside Russia.
The measure was seen as a response to the thousands of North Korean troops who had joined Russian ground forces to reinforce Putin’s invasion.
It led to accusations that he tried to escalate the war before leaving office, and Putin responded a few days later by launching a hypersonic missile at Ukraine.
Despite the controversy, voters in the poll narrowly support the US allowing Ukraine to use US missiles for longer-range attacks.
An infographic titled “Russian new missile Orehsnik”, taken in Ankara, Turkiye on November 29, 2024
A DailyMail.com poll shows that almost four in ten voters fear a global conflict is on the horizon
It comes at a time when experts have blasted Biden’s handling of Russian aggression.
Heino Klinck, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia under Trump, told DailyMail.com: “I think the survey results reflect a growing recognition that deterrence has failed during the Biden administration.
“The failure of deterrence will be the defining legacy of President Biden’s foreign policy. Starting with the hasty and disastrous US withdrawal from Afghanistan to the wars in Europe and the Middle East, the current administration has failed to deter aggression and ensure a stable international environment.
“This also extends to North Korean missile tests and unprecedented combat deployments in Europe, as well as daily Chinese adventurism against U.S. treaty allies and security partners.
National security expert Mark Toth and former US intelligence officer Colonel Jonathan Sweet are among those who claim World War III is already upon us.
“This third global fire doesn’t look or feel like Hollywood imagined,” they told DailyMail.com earlier this month.
‘No mushroom clouds or apocalyptic wastelands. Rather, it is a war of a thousand cuts, waged across battlefields spanning multiple regions and multiple domains.