World War You: Why Stopping the Next Global War Depends on You

The world order we’ve known for the past 75 years hasn’t just crumbled — it has collapsed.

From Moscow’s assault on Ukraine to Beijing’s global power plays, autocratic regimes aren’t just competing with democracies anymore — they’re actively working to dismantle them. Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are coordinating economic, cyber, and military campaigns to weaken democracies from within and reshape the world order in their image. The West’s failure to stop them has already set us on the road to global conflict.

But World War III isn’t inevitable — if we act now.

That’s why I’m writing a book: World War You. It’s a wake-up call for a world sleepwalking into disaster and a roadmap for how to pull back from the brink. This Substack is where that conversation begins.

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I’ve spent nearly 20 years working in conflict zones, foreign policy, economic development, and sustainable tech across four continents. From Afghanistan and Myanmar to Washington and Berlin, I’ve seen institutions fail and systems fall apart from within, long before the bombs start falling. I’ve also seen what it takes to hold the line. Drawing from those lessons, each week I’ll share:

• Analysis of global events you’re not getting from the headlines

• Hard truths about how we got here, and what needs to change

• Real-world stories from the frontlines of conflict zones, politics, and crisis response

• Reflections on democratic decline and possibilities for renewal in the US and Europe

• Perspectives from around the world on how others view the transatlantic democratic meltdown and the China-Russia-led axis of authoritarians

• Practical, concrete ways you can help fight back — wherever you are, whoever you are, right now

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I won’t just be writing here for policy experts. I’m writing for you: for citizens, business leaders, decisionmakers, and anyone who senses the world is spinning off course but doesn’t know what to do about it. This newsletter, and World War You, are here to help people move from fear and paralysis to understanding and agency – with clear, accessible analysis and tangible steps for how you can respond to this moment, whoever you are. Because in today’s hyperconnected world, the macro of geopolitics and the micro of our everyday lives are more closely intertwined than ever before. Our own individual actions or inaction will either prevent or unleash the next global conflict. What you do now will shape the history we’re about to live.

Thanks for being here. Subscribe now to join the conversation and the fight.

-Jessica

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