What Will Trigger the Next World War? With Peter Apps

What Will Trigger the Next World War? With Peter Apps

From Intelligence Squared by Intelligence Squared

May 1, 2026 · 32 min · Season 1 · Episode 3428

About this episode

Hannah Lucinda Smith interviews Peter Apps about the potential for a new global conflict and the factors contributing to it.

How close are we to a new global conflict? In this episode, journalist Hannah Lucinda Smith speaks with global defence commentator Peter Apps about his new book The Next World War: The New Age of Global Conflict and the Fight to Stop It. From Ukraine to Taiwan, and from cyber warfare to space, Apps argues that the foundations of a new kind of global conflict are already in place. Drawing on reporting from the corridors of power in Washington, London, Moscow and Beijing, as well as frontline perspectives, Apps maps the fault lines shaping today’s geopolitical landscape. He explores the return of great power rivalry, the rise of ‘hybrid’ warfare, and the growing role of technology in reshaping how conflicts are fought. At its centre is a stark question: are these tensions containable, or are they leading towards a wider and more dangerous confrontation? Apps sets out how governments, militaries and societies are preparing for the possibility of large-scale conflict — and what might still be done to prevent escalation. Peter Apps is a global defence commentator at Reuters. He is the author of The Next World War: The New Age of Global Conflict and the Fight to Stop It. His podcast…

People in this episode

Host: Hannah Lucinda Smith

Guest: Peter Apps

Topics covered

  • global conflict
  • geopolitics
  • defense commentary
  • hybrid warfare
  • technology in warfare

Keywords

  • world war
  • global conflict
  • geopolitical tensions
  • hybrid warfare
  • cyber warfare
  • space warfare
  • great power rivalry

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Reuters

Books & works: The Next World War: The New Age of Global Conflict and the Fight to Stop It, Battle for the Next World War

Places: Washington, London, Moscow, Beijing, Ukraine, Taiwan

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