NationStates Jolt Archive

What with all the terrorism and the US going into battle in Iraq and what not does anyone think we're headed to World War Three? And is it going to be a race war or a religious war?

no, there is noone in the middle east whos going to declare war on the US, however much they might want to

The middle east? No.

The possibility of war would come mostly through the results of oil peak, and the dynamics of the political situation in the Asian/America regions. The mideast is just.. well along for the ride.

Meh, I can't think of anybody that would side with any middle-eastern country that dcided to attck the US. There might be more war, but I don't believe we will end up with anything much worse than Iraq or Afghanistan.

Focussing on the middle east, interesting. What about Korea? THey are a threat as they do have Nukes. Just because someone isn't willing to openly attack America doesn't mean it's not going to be a World War. Germany didn't attack America. And is all this race or religion? Or something else?

I doubt it would be a world war as most of the European countries have seem to come to the idea they should be like Switzerland and say "I'm staying outta this." It may come to just Australia, Japan, and the USA against the Middle East or something like that. Not a world war, but something like the Korean War was.

Focussing on the middle east, interesting.
:confused:
I thought you specifically asked about the middle east?

:confused:
I thought you specifically asked about the middle east?

I was using that as an example of somewhere where there is war NOW. THere are other places that are much more of a threat , who have nukes etc. And I don't like living so close to them...

I was using that as an example of somewhere where there is war NOW. THere are other places that are much more of a threat , who have nukes etc. And I don't like living so close to them...
Ah, sorry about the misunderstanding then.

Ah, sorry about the misunderstanding then.

Meh, not to worried, I can see how you can make the assumption that I'm talking middle east. Maybe I should move...

Well, WWIII can't start for quite a while because in Star Trek: First Contact they go back in time to the year 2063, 10 years after WWIII ends. So unless the war lasts a really long time we should be safe for a while.

Despite recent problems, the world seems a lot more stable now than when I was a kid. Of course, it could still be a hell of a lot better. But over the last 20 years both India and China have lifted hundreds of millions of people out of absolute poverty, in many places politics has become less ideological and more practical, racism has become less acceptable, education levels have improved, etc. Plenty of bad things still happen, but less than in the past. One difference is that we hear more about bad things that do happen. Now even poor countries have video cameras and reporters in them, and 24 hour news channels have to fill their airtime somehow. But many people have worked hard to make the world a better place. As long as we can control our bouts of irrationality, we can continue to improve the world. No one but a small minority of loonies want a race or a religious war, despite the amount of airtime the loonies get.

REPORTER: Would you like to see your religion adopted all over the world.
MAN IN STREET: Of course.
REPORTER: Would you like to go to war against peacful countries in order to force your religion on then, even though it is against the teachings of your religion to do so?
MAN IN STREET: Of course not, that would be wrong.

If you only listen to the first question and answer, you might think there are more loonies out there then there actually are.

If it came to another world war I don't think any nucs would be used. All would be used but nucs, I mean one country uses them every one turnes around and nucs that country, or just invades it and then oblliterates it.

Despite recent problems, the world seems a lot more stable now than when I was a kid. Of course, it could still be a hell of a lot better. But over the last 20 years both India and China have lifted hundreds of millions of people out of absolute poverty, in many places politics has become less ideological and more practical, racism has become less acceptable, education levels have improved, etc. Plenty of bad things still happen, but less than in the past. One difference is that we hear more about bad things that do happen. Now even poor countries have video cameras and reporters in them, and 24 hour news channels have to fill their airtime somehow. But many people have worked hard to make the world a better place. As long as we can control our bouts of irrationality, we can continue to improve the world. No one but a small minority of loonies want a race or a religious war, despite the amount of airtime the loonies get.

REPORTER: Would you like to see your religion adopted all over the world.
MAN IN STREET: Of course.
REPORTER: Would you like to go to war against peacful countries in order to force your religion on then, even though it is against the teachings of your religion to do so?
MAN IN STREET: Of course not, that would be wrong.

If you only listen to the first question and answer, you might think there are more loonies out there then there actually are.

I see your point...

Well, yes. We had World War I, then World War II, so the next world war should be III.

Meh, not to worried, I can see how you can make the assumption that I'm talking middle east. Maybe I should move...

Whatever you do don't move to Canada. There's this really tyrannical country along their southern border that has a shit load of nukes.

Whatever you do don't move to Canada. There's this really tyrannical country along their southern border that has a shit load of nukes.

I'll keep that in mind. I was thinking Tasmania. THat seems to be Australias back up plan. THe place is small and hard to see even with a super strength sattellite

What with all the terrorism and the US going into battle in Iraq and what not does anyone think we're headed to World War Three? And is it going to be a race war or a religious war?

Although certain politicians in the White House might be itching for a fight, the politcal climate is actually more favourable right now than it has been in decades.

ETA have all but ceased their activities. The IRA are close to inactive. The Palestinians are making a serious stab at peace, despite being hampered by some stray aggression. Syria has pulled out of Lebanon...

At the moment, the BIGGEST risk of war is coming from the USA. Since the dissolution of the USSR, the US has been looking for wars to fight - forcing them when necessary. Like the upcoming invasion of Iran...

So - the biggest potential for a fight, I think - is when the US finally controls enough of the middle-east, through it's empire building project, that they control the oil supply - at which point it could get messy.

How does invading a small powerless middle eastern country get us closer to WWIII?

What with all the terrorism and the US going into battle in Iraq and what not does anyone think we're headed to World War Three? And is it going to be a race war or a religious war?

Well, some people are refering to the GWOT as WWIV (WWIII having been the Cold War, by some reconings).

long link (http://www.deanport.com/dem/?q=2005/mar/15/which-war-is-this-anyway-are-we-in-world-war-iv)
http://www.antiwar.com/engelhardt/?articleid=5144
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/special/A11902025_1.html

I'll keep that in mind. I was thinking Tasmania. THat seems to be Australias back up plan. THe place is small and hard to see even with a super strength sattellite

I don't think we have much to worry about here in Australia. Though Tasmania is supposed to be quite a nice place.

WW3 will probably not take place in mideast. I foresee US, Japan, Taiwan, S. Korea + maybe Russia, India VS. China VS. N. Korea.

It will make Vietnam look like garden party.

If it came to another world war I don't think any nucs would be used. All would be used but nucs, I mean one country uses them every one turnes around and nucs that country, or just invades it and then oblliterates it.

Hmmm, no nukes hunh? The cynic in me says on a global scale, they will be used.

I assume that by WWIII you all are assuming that only conventional warfare will be used. You know tanks, machine guns, soldiers, etc. On a small scale within an particular country like Iraq or Afganistan sure, but with the trigger happy countries out there, N. Korea, Iran, Pakistan, etc., if they are attacked they may not care much about the outcome. I cannot forsee nukes not being used by these countries, the US, Russia, China(?), and other large countries may be able to use restraint but...if attacked they will retaliate in a big way...Don't kid yourself into thinking they won't.

I can't wait for WWIII. Good entertaining shit on the news, real political issues instead of manufactured ones (at least some of the time), explosions and people dying. What more could a guy want?

I don't know if this is right but I believe a WW3 was already predicted by Nostradamus, or at least, a rather large one inwhich the West and East would fight and cause massive casualties (or at least enough to bother a guy a few millenia ago) although it was not the end of the world. Nostradamus got many things wrong I know, as I believe he predicted the end of the world to have been a few months ago :rolleyes:, but he did mention the involvement of two hollow mountains (i.e. 9/11) in this war.
So it does make ya think, although it's totally unpolitical and I don't reckon there are any current Eastern countries that could ever pose such a threat to Dubya's USA, althought China is a little of a supicious place, but I really don't know even about it to say :confused:

I spent three of my four years in the Marine Corps deployed to Iraq (for the invasion), Afghanistan, and peace-keeping in Bosnia. Because of the fact that we have troops on combat duty (i.e. doesn't actually mean fighting in all of these instances) in Afghanistan, Iraq, S. Korea (war never ended there, mind you), the Phillipines (counter-insurgency), Uzbek (going to be fun soon), Argentina, and Turkey, Saudi, etc., we are not waiting for WWIII, we are in it. It is a low-intensity global conflict, against many groups with many agendas.

Nostradamus did not live a few millenia ago. He died in 1566. Not only that, but NO ONE has prdicted one of his prophecies before they occurred. It was all hindsighted twisting. Heres a great website about the untruth of his predictions:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/nostradamus.htm

I think in order for WWIII to occur, it would take a very brazen act by one of the worlds more notable powers. China invading South Korea or Japan OR the USA invading Mexico or Canada (ever seen the movie 'Canadian Bacon?') :D
That being said, it's very unlikely in our lifetime. China has a vested interest in improving it's economy through the global market. And the USA exerts enough blackmail... er I mean, influance over it's neighbours to negate the need to invade them. Plus the USA's MO has been typically that they want nothing to do with direct invasion and control, they'd much rather leave countries independant and 'free' and pull the strings from behind the curtain.
It would take a seriously warped US president to consider reviving the idea of Manifest Destiny (think GWB X 3). That's my take anyways.

Ascendent China.

Declining USA.

It depends if we really need to fight out the obvious (people accepting that Democracy is going to have to come to some people a little bit later).

Give oil prices, population pressures, immigration, emmigration, water scarcity, food scarcity, wealth-gaps, fundamentalist nationalists, political corruption and the all-important policy of unilateralism another 20 years...maybe 30.

"In the City of God there will be a great thunder,
Two brothers torn apart by Chaos, while the fortress endures, the great leader will succumb",
The third big war will begin when the big city is burning"
- Nostradamus 1654

Isn't the "City of God" Rio?

Not really. There's always been terrorism and devout religious feeling in this nation is declining, regardless of what people really tell you..

China, like America, is rabidly capitalistic and materialistic, in fact even more so than America, and it is now the world's fastest growing economy.

China, like America, is thirsty for oil and other materials, and buys it's oil from Iran.

China are also buying oil from Venezuela, as well as materials from South America, which the US will see as it's 'backyard'.

The US have invaded Iraq for oil, an area which China sees as it's 'backyard'.

China also buy their oil from Iran.

Eventually, one of the superpowers is going to do something to feed it's hunger for materials and that will infringe upon the other superpower's hunger.

I think this is likely to be in the form of the US taking on Iran, which China will see as a threat to their supplies of oil.

It may be then, the 'fun', 'shitstorm', or 'skullfucking' begins. The Material War, The Oil War, whatver you wish to call it.

Not to mention the Shias in Iraq won't take too kindly to Iran being invaded either and may possibly rise up.

A World War can only qualify as such if it is fought on two or more continents at the same time by two opposing sides or alliances.

WW1 was fought over Europe and (Middle East)Asia

WW2 was fought over three: Africa, Europe and Asia.

Cold War which is seen by some to qualify as a World War, was fought hotly over Asia, Africa, when there would be two opposing sides in localised wars in nations, the sides involved were backed by either the US or The Soviet Union.

Vietnam, Angola, The Middle East wars of the 60's, 70's and 80's as an example.