Keep pulling the thread on Paul Stairs.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations' Preventive Priorities Survey, the number of armed conflicts globally is at its highest level since the end of World War II.
The risks of conflict reigniting in the Gaza Strip, worsening conditions in the West Bank, and renewed tensions between Israel and Iran were all ranked in the top 10 of the Council on Foreign Relations' Preventive Priorities Survey.
The Council on Foreign Relations' Preventive Priorities Survey for 2026 ranks the risk of political violence in the United States as both highly likely and of high consequence.
A potential conflict over Taiwan is ranked as a Tier 1 risk in the Council on Foreign Relations' Preventive Priorities Survey.
The risk of the Russia-Ukraine war escalating in a way that involves the U.S. is ranked as a Tier 1 concern in the Council on Foreign Relations' Preventive Priorities Survey.
The risk of Russian provocations against NATO countries escalating to a wider conflict involving the U.S. is ranked as a Tier 1 concern in the Council on Foreign Relations' Preventive Priorities Survey.
Chinese AI research labs are only a few months behind the leading U.S. labs in terms of technological advancement.
A small technological lead of a few months in AI development by U.S. labs may not translate into a meaningful military advantage over China.
The Pentagon's adoption of frontier AI technology is estimated to be approximately five years behind the commercial sector.
The U.S. military is competing on a "pretty level playing field" against China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) in terms of technology adoption and innovation.
In the Council on Foreign Relations' Preventive Priorities Survey, five of the 30 potential global crises were ranked as having both a high likelihood of occurring and a high impact on U.S. interests.
The risk of conflict or instability in Venezuela was ranked in the top tier of the Council on Foreign Relations' Preventive Priorities Survey for the current year.