If World War III occurs which country is the safest?

Have you ever wondered what you would do if World War III broke out? Where would be the safest place to be? Current events certainly bring these thoughts to mind

A study by the Global Peace Index in 2021 based on geostrategic and geopolitical criteria offers us a revealing list.

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According to the Global Peace Index 2021 ranking, Iceland is the country most likely to remain peaceful during a world war. Because of its geographical location (far north of Europe, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean) and because of its pacifist tradition. It belongs to NATO but does not have its own army (coast guard and police are enough).

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According to the Global Peace Index, we could also head to New Zealand as a safe place in case of a world war. It is considered the second most "peaceful" country in the world. Of course, it has to do with its geographical location, far from powers such as Russia and the United States, the main players in a possible conflict.

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This third place in the ranking is somewhat more debatable if we link security parameters with a possible war that would have its origin in Europe. In addition, Denmark belongs to NATO. Although, of course, Greenland is Danish territory and could be a good refuge from a planetary cataclysm.

Portugal is a country that has historically shied away from participating in global wars. It belongs to NATO, but its location (on the southernmost Atlantic coast of Europe) and the Portuguese character, given to fraternity, make this country a good destination to escape the chaos.

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This is supposedly another peaceful country (although it suffered the first Balkan civil war when Yugoslavia disintegrated). However, recently in the Ukrainian crisis, the Slovenian Prime Minister, Janez Jansa, went to Kyiv in the middle of the war together with the heads of state of Poland and the Czech Republic to meet with Zelensky to give support to Ukraine.

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After the traumatic Hitler period, Austria wanted to preserve its inter-bloc independence forever. And that is why in 1955, the country signed a treaty with the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, in which he declared its "permanent neutrality." It does not belong to NATO (it does belong to the European Union) and has sometimes been used as an example of what could be proposed to Ukraine to calm Russian suspicions.

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Neutrality in all conflicts is a deeply rooted characteristic of this country. The passing of the years hasn't changed that trait too much.

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Ireland is not a member of NATO, and its landscapes induce a calm that, in case of conflict, we hope will be preserved.

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When this Global Peace Index was made, the Ukrainian conflict had not yet broken out. As a member of NATO, the Czech Republic actively participates, which lowers its status as a calm, peaceful, and very safe country.

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Canada has always played a role as a host country for refugees from all over the planet and has a peaceful reputation. That is why it makes the Top 10 list of the Global Peace Index.

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Among Asian countries, according to this index of countries "at peace", Singapore ranks number one.

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The second "safest" Asian country in terms of war conflicts would be Japan, which since World War II has always opted for peace and has not participated in any conflagrations outside its borders.

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An idyllic northern European spot with beautiful scenery and a tradition of relative neutrality... until the war in Ukraine changed things, and Putin threatened the nation with "consequences" if it considered joining NATO. Is it still a good place to take refuge from the adversities of war? Maybe not so much anymore.

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After Finland, in the Global Peace Index, comes Norway, and once again, it has traditionally been a place of peace, but the world is so stressed (and Norway has the war in Ukraine so close) that perhaps things have changed.

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Putin also issued a serious warning to Sweden not to intervene in the Ukraine conflict, so the country's place on this list is now debatable. However, if Sweden stays out of Putin's way, it is a good place to get lost in the event of a cataclysm.

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Australia, in its immensity, is a country with a welcoming capacity and the appropriate distance from the great powers that could enter the fray. Although the reality is that in a globalized world, in one way or another, every war reaches us.

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