World War 3 fears MAPPED: Shocking map reveals rising tensions between global powers

The North Korea crisis, the fight against ISIS, the war
in Syria and the conflict in Libya have a ‘critical’
impact on US interests, according to the Council on
Foreign Relations (CFR).
The Taliban in Afghanistan, tensions in the East China
Sea and the South China Sea dispute are also given
‘critical’ status by the New York-based think tank.
The map below shows the 18 conflicts identified by
CFR’s conflict tracker as having a ‘critical’ or
‘significant’ impact on American interests.
These ‘critical’ conflicts are likely to trigger US military
involvement or threaten the supply of critical strategic
resources.
Map shows conflicts with ‘critical’ or 'significant'
impact on US interests, according to CFR
In contrast, the ‘significant’ conflicts affect countries
that have strategic importance but do not involve a
mutual defence treaty commitment.
The war in Afghanistan has been thrown back into the
spotlight after Donald Trump agreed to send as many
as 4,000 extra troops to Afghanistan.
The Taliban is now believed to control more territory
than at any time since America invaded Afghanistan in
the wake of the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
Since then, ISIS has replaced al-Qaeda as the world’s
most feared terrorist group after taking over swathes
of war-torn Syria and neighbouring Iraq.
The war in Syria divides the world with Russia and Iran
supporting Assad but the US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and
others in the region backing the anti-Assad rebels.
In contrast, the North Korea is isolated and only wields
power on the global stage due its advancing nuclear
weapons development.
North Korea 's state media has pointed out the
downfall of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi came
after he gave up developing nuclear weapons.
The recent war of words between Mr Trump and Kim
Jong-un has sparked fears that tensions could lead to
conflict or even World War 3.
North Korea tensions mapped: US, Japan and South
Korea unite against the North
While the US is encouraging China to put more
pressure on its trading partner North Korea, it is also
trying to resolve the South China Sea dispute.
CFR says: “Territorial and jurisdictional disputes in the
South China Sea continue to strain relations between
China and other countries in Southeast Asia, risking a
military escalation.”
There are also tensions between China and Japan over
the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea.
Although not included on the CFR map, China is now
demanding that India pulls back troops from the
Doklam plateau - a contested region high in the
Himalayas.
The Qatari crisis, in pictures
Tue, July 4, 2017
Qatar is in a state of crisis after Saudi Arabia cut
all ties and closed its borders to its neighbour,
accusing it of funding terror
PLAY
Donald Trump and Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad
Al-Thani take part in a bilateral meeting at a hotel
in Riyadh on 21st May [AFP/Getty Images]
AFP/GETTY IMAGES 1 of 12
Meanwhile, the crisis between Qatar and four Arab
countries is straining a Saudi-led coalition backing
Yemen's government in a two-year war against Iranian-
aligned Houthis.
In June, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE cut
ties with Doha. Qatar rejects accusations that it funds
extremist groups.
At the heart of the crisis is the accusation that Qatar
supports the Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded
in Egypt and is an affiliate of the Islah party in
Yemen.
Elsewhere, there are long-running conflicts between
India and Pakistan and Israel and Palestine while the
conflict in Ukraine could damage US-Russia relations.
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