Since Jan. 2 of this year, I have felt that the United States has entered a period of chaos. What a cinematic spectacle the world has witnessed: the alleged kidnapping of the leader of another sovereign nation.

This was not a film by James Cameron such as “Avatar 1, 2 or 3.” The director of this drama, in the author’s view, was the U.S. president.

I was struck by how skillfully the operation was carried out by the U.S. military forces — without a single reported casualty. Yet despite the dramatic execution, the majority of people in the United States did not approve of what the author characterizes as the kidnapping of the Venezuelan president and his wife. It was wrong — deeply wrong.

What does this mean for the rest of the world? To me, it suggests that the United States seeks to dictate to other nations and expects them to behave as subordinates.

History offers cautionary examples: Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, and British imperial expansion. These chapters left humanity with degradation and suffering, not moral or social progress.

In the 21st century, must we now ask whether the United States will next attempt to annex Greenland or overthrow the governments of Colombia, Cuba, Iran, Mexico — or even Canada?

We have already witnessed tariff wars, and they continue. From the very beginning of 2026, the global situation has not been encouraging.

At the same time, internal tragedy within the United States persists. The actions of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) have become, for many, a source of fear.

On Jan. 7, a 37-year-old woman, Renee Nicole Good — a mother, wife, and daughter of Donna Ganger — was killed by an ICE agent during an operation targeting undocumented immigrants in a Minneapolis neighborhood.

Similarly, on Jan. 8, two people were shot and wounded by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Portland, Oregon, during a targeted traffic stop.

One cannot help but ask why law enforcement officers in the United States so frequently resort to lethal force. According to analysis by The Washington Post, U.S. law enforcement officers shoot and kill more than 1,000 people each year on average.

The United States has also faced ISIS or ISIS-inspired terror plots in the past, including threats aimed at New Year’s Eve celebrations this year, which were successfully foiled.

However, gun violence remains a persistent problem on U.S. soil and was present on the first day of 2026 as well. At least three mass shootings occurred on Jan. 1.

The year 2026 appears troubling not only for the United States, but for many other countries, including:

Iran — Anti-government protests have spread, with dozens of protesters reportedly killed. President Trump has threatened the regime with possible military strikes.

Bangladesh — Widespread anarchy marked by mob violence, money laundering, and indiscriminate killings of minorities continues unabated.

Sudan — The brutal civil war shows no sign of ending.

Myanmar — A worsening humanitarian crisis persists alongside a military-orchestrated election process.

There is only limited hope for peace in the Russia –Ukraine war and for improvement in the situation in Gaza.

Finally, I note a prediction attributed to the Bulgarian mystic Baba Vanga, often called the “Nostradamus of the Balkans.” She reportedly predicted the outbreak of World War III in 2026, as well as humanity’s first encounter with extraterrestrial beings.

Jiben Roy, a native of Bangladesh, is a retired chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences professor at Mississippi University for Women. He writes occasional columns in The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].

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