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Global tariff war

 

US President Donald Trump started the year with an ‘America First’ agenda, imposing trade levies on more than 60 countries worldwide, including China, Canada, Mexico, and India, while most countries stayed silent and remained hopeful that he would impose minimal amounts. The tariff war truly became global after China retaliated with its own reciprocal tariffs on US goods.

The move by China came as a shock to the US administration, which had not anticipated any form of retaliation from China, since the majority of countries had quietly accepted the deals. 

 

Global markets tanked worldwide, with investors losing trillions of dollars’ worth of investments overnight due to what many saw as the overly aggressive policy of the United States. 

 

The tariff war started with the imposition of levies hitting allies like Canada with 35 per cent tariffs, while imposing 50 per cent tariffs on Brazil and India. The US also imposed 60 per cent tariffs on rival China in a bid to exert dominance over global trade.

 

Trump's claims of ending eight wars

Trump has constantly claimed to have ended eight wars in one year; he has reiterated ending the India-Pakistan brief conflict nearly 60 times in the past seven months. Trump said he ended these wars through mediation, trade pressure, or direct involvement, often described by experts as misconstrued, as the majority of these conflicts were partially active or involved some pre-existing tensions, while most of them were seen as mere exaggerations.

 

Israel-Hamas Gaza war

Undoubtedly, one of his biggest achievements was contributing to ending bloodshed in Gaza, where nearly 71,000 people have lost their lives, with more than 200,000 injured. Experts believe Trump could have ended the war much earlier had he endured his pressure tactics on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the beginning, as he has done with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The truce between the two sides saw the exchange of prisoners, but violations persisted after the ceasefire came into effect on October 10. 

 

Israel-Iran 12-day war

On June 12, 2025, Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iran’s nuclear programme, targeting nuclear reactors and scientists linked to what Israel viewed as covert nuclear activity. The escalation later transformed into 12 days of missile and drone warfare between the two sides. The United States also got involved in the war by dropping GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs on Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan nuclear sites. Later, the US government, with the assistance of the international community, including China and Russia, declared the war had ended, yet the possibility of renewed escalation remains between Israel and Iran.

 

India-Pakistan four-day conflict

 

One of the biggest escalations was witnessed between India and Pakistan when India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan over the involvement of two terror groups believed to be linked to the Pakistani side. The Pakistani side responded with heavy cross-border shelling, killing dozens on both sides and resulting in massive infrastructure damage. 

 

Democratic Republic of Congo-Rwanda

 

Trump’s mediation efforts in brokering peace between the two hostile African neighbours, the DR Congo and Rwanda, backed by M23 proxies, have been critical. While Trump claimed it was resolved, experts say it remains unresolved as fighting continues.

 

Thailand-Cambodia (Border War)

 

Clashes between Thailand and Cambodia over the contested border saw the killing of dozens and the displacement of thousands on both sides.
Trump claimed his mediation efforts ended the conflict in October with assistance from Malaysia, but the violence reignited in December after two Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine blast. However, on December 28, both sides once again announced a truce in the presence of China, Malaysia, and US negotiators.

 

Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh

 

While some of Trump’s claims remained controversial, his mediation in ending post-2020 war tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia resulted in a peace deal agreed to by both sides. Azerbaijan had, in 2020, liberated its occupied territory with the alleged involvement of Turkish and Pakistani special forces.
However, in 2025, the two sides agreed to develop a corridor named after Trump aimed at facilitating trade, although Iran has raised strong objections, saying the route would provide US forces direct access to Iran if a war-like situation arises.

 

Serbia-Kosovo
The Serbia-Kosovo war tensions date back nearly 35 years. While the two sides are not fighting anymore, ethnic tensions remained prevalent in 2025. The Serbs committed one of the worst genocides in Europe’s history post-World War II, when they killed more than 5,000 ethnic Kosovar Albanian Muslims, mostly men, and carried out mass rapes during a brutal military campaign.

Trump claimed the prevention of an eruption via economic normalisation, building on the 2020 deals. This claim is disputed, as no fighting occurred; it was more prevention than ending.

 

Egypt-Ethiopia Nile Dam dispute

 

A 12-year standoff over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam risked a water war, but neither side resorted to fighting, and matters were settled diplomatically. Although US-led talks halted escalation, the sides were not fighting, as Trump claimed. Meanwhile, two of the most important and deadly wars remain active—one in Ukraine and the other in Sudan—where thousands of civilians have died in the aftermath of bloody conflicts, forcing millions to flee violence-hit regions and exacerbating hardships for civilians living in lawless environments.

2026 promises to be an eventful year

 

Overall, Trump and the United States dominated global discourse, whether through mediation efforts, imposing trade tariffs, or launching military strikes against various targets, including those in Nigeria, Iran, Syria, Venezuela, or Colombia, alongside the Epstein sex scandal. The year 2026 promises to be even more uncertain with Trump remaining in office.

 

By Waseem Ahmad Ganie