GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Episode: War and Peace in 2025, with Clarissa Ward and Comfort Ero
Release Date: December 20, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ian Bremmer hosts a wide-ranging conversation on the state of global conflict in 2025. He is joined by CNN’s chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward, and Comfort Ero, President and CEO of the International Crisis Group. Together, they reflect on the year’s defining wars—Gaza and Ukraine—and explore dozens of other ongoing but under-reported conflicts. The episode examines challenges for journalists covering war, the shift in global power dynamics, humanitarian crises, and the erosion of trust in international institutions, concluding with discussion on possible avenues to sustainable peace.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Changing Landscape of Global Conflict (00:02 – 02:22)

• Ian Bremmer opens the episode, noting that while Gaza and Ukraine have dominated headlines, nearly 60 other active conflicts rage worldwide. This represents “the most active period of conflict since the end of World War II,” driven by weakening institutions, regional rivalries, climate shocks, and failing states.
• Governments are diverting funds to military spending, forcibly displaced populations are at record highs, and global trust is evaporating.

2. Reporting from Conflict Zones: Gaza and Ukraine

Guest: Clarissa Ward

Gaza: Challenges, Access, and Narrative (02:22 – 10:22)

• Access Restrictions: Journalists remain barred from freely entering Gaza; any foreign media access is embedded with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), preventing direct contact with Palestinians.

  • Quote:

    “You cannot talk to Palestinians if you go in with the IDF for pretty obvious reasons…we are really playing catch up, desperately trying to put together the pieces.”
    — Clarissa Ward, (03:21)

• Frustration over Limited Reporting:

  • Despite a ceasefire, access is still denied, raising questions about transparency:

    • Quote:

      “By not allowing journalists in, you’re really lending credence to the idea that this never was about security. It has been about trying to hide from the eyes of the world the devastation and horrors.”
      — Clarissa Ward, (08:19)

  • The inability to report “the sights, the smells, the feels, the human connections” impedes comprehensive coverage.

• Weaponization of Information: Social media and polarized voices make reliable reporting critical, but “there is absolutely no replacement for being there,” and the politicized atmosphere further complicates the ability to report with authority.

Ukraine: Drone Warfare and the Human Toll (10:22 – 20:35)

• Front Lines Defined by Drones:

  • Modern warfare is transformed: drones dominate the landscape, making traditional reporting—and even military movement—extraordinarily dangerous.
  • Quote:

    “You might have a few seconds, not a few minutes...the whole nature of warfare has fundamentally, probably for good, changed with this conflict.”
    — Clarissa Ward, (11:29)

• Mass Exodus of Ukrainian Men:

  • Martial law prevents men 23–58 from leaving; yet, up to 100 Ukrainians each week flee to Romania, risking deadly mountain and river crossings:
    • Quote:

      “To leave is a risk, but to stay is a death sentence.”
      — Viktor, Ukrainian escapee, as recounted by Clarissa Ward (14:51)

• On the Myth of Superhuman Ukrainians:

  • Public and private sentiment diverges: while lionization of Ukrainians is common in the West, privately, many contemplate or support concessions for peace.
    • Quote:

      “We do the Ukrainians a disservice, actually, when we lionize them to the point of being superhuman—we are actually stripping them of their humanity.”
      — Clarissa Ward, (16:51)

Policy, Pragmatism, and the Trump Effect (18:25 – 20:35)

• Trump’s “Peace Now” Rhetoric:

  • Some Ukrainians privately agree the war must end, even with painful concessions, if genuine security guarantees are provided.
  • Discomfort, however, with Trump's approach of overt humiliation and lack of empathy for Ukrainian leadership.

• Journalist's Priorities for 2026:

  • Sudan: Atrocities are underreported due to denial of access and story complexity.
  • Congo: Long-running conflict, critical to global supply chains (minerals for tech), remains largely overlooked.

3. Underreported Conflicts and Shifting Global Power

Guest: Comfort Ero (32:00 – 51:01)

Lesser-Known Wars & Their Significance (32:17 – 35:51)

• The Importance of Precedent:

  • Outcomes in Gaza and Ukraine set global norms. Territorial aggressions (Ukraine, DRC) and humanitarian abuses (Gaza) serve as templates elsewhere.

• A "Tour" of Other Hotspots:

  • Haiti: International intervention models are failing.
  • Sahel, Sudan: Increasing instability and complex involvement of outside powers.
  • Great Lakes (Rwanda/DRC): US is newly engaged in peace efforts; fighting persists even as leaders sign agreements.
  • Myanmar: Military junta entrenched; atrocities ongoing.
  • Armenia/Azerbaijan: Recent peace efforts belie ongoing tensions.
  • South China Sea, Taiwan: “At the back of everybody’s rearview.”

The Collapse of Multilateralism and State System Challenges (36:49 – 38:50)

• International Organizations Weakened:

  • “Significant backsliding in…norms and the guardrails and constraints that would normally hem bad behavior.”
  • Heads of state/juntas can now “with a stroke of a pen, decide that the UN must exit.”

• Need for More Sustainable Peace:

  • Peace deals are often “signed in pencil,” with little lasting impact.
  • The regional troublemakers are often the very mediators at the table.

US Involvement: Constructive or Merely Theatrical? (38:50 – 44:06)

• Trump's "Peace President" Approach:

  • Seen as iconoclastic; at times productive (as in preliminary steps in Great Lakes region), but raises questions over sustainability:

    • “A peace deal is being signed and the fighters are still fighting.”

  • US is drawn by commercial interests (critical minerals) and new partnerships (Qatar, rather than traditional European actors).

• Barriers to Durable Peace (41:31 – 43:51):

  • Leadership trust deficits (Rwanda/DRC), entrenched conflict legacies, outside interests, and lack of full buy-in hinder progress.

The Limits of “Deal-Making” and Pathways to Real Peace (44:25 – 47:59)

• Skepticism over Deal Durability:
  • The “theatrics” of deal-making don’t always produce sustainable arrangements.
  • Example: Gaza's ceasefire is progress, but fundamental issues—governance, security, day-to-day needs—remain unsolved, risking a “no war, no peace” limbo.
  • Effective international stabilization forces are still absent, and no one wants to deploy in dangerous or ambiguous contexts.

The Crisis Next Door: Haiti (47:59 – 51:01)

• Failures of International Will:
  • Despite Security Council votes, peacekeeping for Haiti is underfunded and lacks political support.
  • “The mission has received only a fraction of the voluntary funding and personnel that was needed.”
  • Absent resources, security, and backing, Haiti is likely to remain violent, fragmented, and neglected.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Gaza Access:

  “There is absolutely no replacement for being there...the human connections, the small moments on camera that capture a much larger theme.”
  — Clarissa Ward, (09:16)

• On the Myth of Superhuman Ukrainians:

  “When we lionize them...we are actually stripping them of their humanity.”
  — Clarissa Ward, (16:51)

• On “Deal-Making” vs. Real Peace:

  “The theatrics, the immediate sort of desire to say, I have put forward a peace deal, being able to convert that into something more sustainable…there’s a lot of uncertainty about how we’re going to get that to stick.”
  — Comfort Ero, (45:21)

• On the Limits of International Peacekeeping:

  “You’ll find out that if they don’t have the political backing, financial weight, and the necessary political will to drive through and to address the violence, we are going to come back and have this debate all over again.”
  — Comfort Ero, (50:29)

Significant Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 00:02 | Overview, 2025’s “Year of Conflict” | | 02:22 | Clarissa Ward on Access Denied to Gaza | | 11:29 | Ukraine: Modern drone warfare and fleeing men | | 16:51 | Humanizing Ukrainians, limits to heroism | | 18:57 | Trump’s diplomacy: Sympathy for the “just end it” camp | | 20:35 | Where journalists want to focus next (Sudan, Congo) | | 32:17 | Comfort Ero: Underreported global conflicts landscape | | 36:49 | Collapse of international norms and institutions | | 39:43 | Trump’s “peace President” persona and its effects | | 44:25 | Durability of peace deals questioned | | 47:59 | Deep dive into the Haiti crisis and failure of aid |

Tone & Language

The tone alternates between somber realism and analytical detachment. Both guests bring direct human experience and sober reflection, particularly Ward’s on-the-ground reporting and Ero's systemic overview, while Ian Bremmer maintains a facilitative, probing presence throughout.

Summary

In a world of fragmented authority and multiplying crises, this episode unpacks how headline wars like Gaza and Ukraine shape global norms, while equally devastating conflicts (Sudan, Congo, Haiti) slip from view. Journalists face unprecedented barriers and dangers, while lasting peace remains elusive due to weak institutions, exhausted resources, and a lack of international will or imagination. The US under Trump is sometimes a disruptor for progress, but just as often risks superficial “deals” with no staying power. As hope and capacity wane for international intervention, the path to sustainable peace appears narrower, demanding renewed creativity, commitment, and humility from the world’s powers—and from those who tell their stories.