The UN, just like the League of Nations that preceded the organization, has essentially proved its inability to put an end to armed conflict that continue to plague the world today, French newspaper Les Echos remarks.
However, it seems that balancing on the precipice of an abyss hasn't been that unusual for the world over the last 70 years. And even though French Prime Minister Manuel Valls did announce that "we are in a world war" referring to the terrorist attacks perpetrated by Daesh (ISIL/ISIS), US President Obama argued that Daesh does not pose an existential threat neither to the United States nor to Europe.
In fact, the main threat of a global war erupting comes from the ongoing conflict in Syria, where Russia, along with Iran and Hezbollah, aids the government of Bashar Assad and is opposed by the US and its European allies.
In the meantime, Saudi Arabia and Iran butt heads in Yemen while the crisis in Ukraine is also far from over.
However, it appears that the US and its NATO allies are unlikely to make any aggressive moves that may exacerbate the aforementioned conflicts, mainly due to the election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States.
"It would appear that Trump’s America will leave Russia free room for manoeuvre from Syria to Ukraine, and won’t start a war with it," the newspaper states.
As for China, which currently experiences tense relations with its neighbors, it is also very unlikely that Beijing would be eager to start a large-scale armed conflict, Les Echos concludes.
