With the strikes at Syria from the United States, the volatility between the United States and Russia has begun to reach increasingly greater heights.

What happened?

With the chemical attacks against their own population in an attempt to quell the revolution, the Syrian population had already been wrought with disaster and endless violence. The attacks were in a small village in Syria, where a large number of civilians were killed or affected by the chemical attack. As a reactionary measure after deliberation, the United States made the decision to launch 59 tomahawk missiles in order to decimate Syrian air bases upon order from Donald Trump, as a measure to make a statement against the Syrian government’s inhumane actions. However, this act has landed them in further hot water, as it increased the proliferation of potential international conflict that the current presidential administration of the United States had promised the American population to avoid. Isolationist stances have gone out of the window through not only the missile strikes themselves, but the responses to it.

One such resonating response was from another global superpower, Russia. As of Friday night, a day after the attack, the Russian government and the Kremlin have condemned the acts of the United States, beginning tension between the United States and Russia. Statements from both sides have condemned each other’s allegiances and decisions made regarding US attacks and Russian allies. Public reports have stated that Russia has condemned the missile strike of United States upon grounds that it is a violation of international law, as well as stating that this action was the tipping point of the breaking of US-Russian relations. In a subsequent response, the United States has also attempted to pin the blame on Russia for the chemical attacks by alleging that they may have influenced the act in some manner.

What does this mean?

World War III is nigh! But no, really. This is probably not a good thing for world political regimes, and eyes are most certainly going to be on this.

Given the global influence of the United States and Russia, a turbulent relationship between the two superpowers could create extreme tension amongst all allies. If push comes to shove, a reinforcement on military spending as well an increase in weaponization could be seen in the near future, which Donald Trump seems to already be preparing for. These events may not be the absolute tipping points, but rather the building blocks of a larger-scale conflict that is predictably looming in the horizon. The political atmosphere is incredibly volatile as is, and the additive conflicts are only causing increased levels of deterioration.

European countries should also be on notice, as this greatly concerns them as well, especially in regard to the level of volatility that is exhibited throughout this event. The alliances that European countries have with these superpowers will prove to be virtually the defining factor in geographical division of powers, which may clash in the event of a world war. Therefore, diplomacy is important now more than ever for such countries, as it would evidently define which side of the spectrum each political power allies themselves with.

Political division and the escalation of violence begins now, and this may not be the last of the tragedies that transpire before there arrives a boiling point.