Is World War 3 inevitable
The world is in a shitty situation. We got serious problems all over. There’s North Korea, Iran, Russia and China - all of them threats in different ways. Besides America, China and India don’t get along, India and Pakistan have been fighting over Kashmir for 70+ years, both have nuclear weapons and have assured mutual destruction because Pakistan can’t actually fight a conventional war with India. On the bright side we do have some peace in the Middle East with Israeli-Arab deal and Serbia and Kosovo signed a deal. We’ll see how that ends up. Still the issues persist, do you think ww3 will happen? And if so, where do you think it’ll stem from? West vs East in a struggle for power? Nuclear War?
I do think something is bound to happen, being from South East Asia originally, Pakistan and India ordeal is bound to blow up eventually, China and India just had little scrap. I’m no expert on geopolitics, but think it’ll stem from that area.
Im not religious anymore, but an interesting hadiths (sayings of prophet Mohammed) I heard called Ghazwa-e-Hind. It is the conquest of India by Muslims and is supposed to be a terrible war, one of the last, after which would follow the messiah and the end times. I don’t believe it but was used by Isis and Taliban and other extremists. I’ve heard being spouted by Pakistani media too when tensions with India took off last year. Dangerous ideology always plays a role in this stuff. Are y’all ready to get drafted?
Nah... we're good
Didn’t Europe say something like that about Hitler...
Just voicing my opinion here, but I seriously doubt it. Being completely serious, not a flex or anything, but my family and I are close with several high ranking members of the US military, some of whom were in Trump and former president's cabinets, and they all agree that it won't happen. Mutually assured destruction is too real of a thing, and nobody is going to shoot first. War is now technological, economic, and when it comes to combat, fought primarily via proxy. You will never see China, Russia, and the US butt heads because even if all sides somehow agreed to sideline nukes, once it was clear who was losing, that agreement would go down the shitter. It is just not worth it for any major power to do this, and there is no scenario where they would walk away from it without being turned to glass or burning alive from radiation, and if I'm wrong and someone is lucky enough to come out of the grinder alive, they will have lots of fun ruling over ruins. When it comes to Iran and North Korea, the only one that is actually a little scary is NoKo, and they are losing support from China and basically have no way to combat any major nation. Plus if they did try something, it would most likely be between them and their southern neighbors, not the US. And even if the US straight up bombed the shit outta them for that, China and Russia would still not have any logical reason to retaliate on their behalf. One could argue that a resource war could drive large powers to the battlefield. Well, maybe, but it would take a global catastrophe to zip us up to that point, and technology on almost all fronts is advancing fast enough that nations are generally able to keep up with resource needs. And if not, that's why global trade exists. I think the global geopolitical ecosystem and inter-connectivity of it all has come too far to allow another truly world war. WSO posts get more depressing by the day.
Weird flex but ok.
You raise good points, perhaps a true world war is out of the question at this point in time at least between the major powers. However, the question of a large scale regional war still stands. Just now I was watching paki news and they were saying India might be planning an attack, could be a lie but it might not be. Ideology can drive people to do some crazy ass things. I know it’s more difficult to judge what might happen when talking about ideology, but it’s there and a lot of people in Pakistan believe in the prophecy of the Great War for India, it’s another reason for the hate. Maybe it won’t be nuclear but when India wrecks Pakistan, China (Pakistan’s main ally in the region) may step in because they don’t want India gaining too much influence. Afghanistan and Iran are also closer to India then to Pakistan, in terms of being allies. All three would be enemies of Pakistan border it. I’m no expert either, but it does not seem unreasonable something scary might happen in that region in the years to come. Hopefully nothing ever does.
Gotta flex when ya gotta flex haha
But yeah you make a good point. While I do believe that a true global clash between major superpowers (US, Russia, China, can even count the EU in there) is unlikely, I think the india pakistan issue is the most volatile of major regional conflicts, plus China's expansionist activity in the area. While I don't have a ton of faith in Pakistan, I believe India would show restraint not to be an instigator. India and the US like each other, and the US would probably play a role as a mediator. If China stepped in too, and say what you want about them, in a situation that large, I think they would try to mediate the other side as well. I feel like any issue that could pull in the heavy hitters of the world will be calmed by them too. India would probably hold back despite the constant shit from Pakistan. If Pakistan didn't, I really can't see China having their back for long if it were to really escalate or go nuclear. I think there is a breaking point for every relationship, and I don't see China really being close enough with other countries to step in like that. However, this is all speculative, and I could be way off on this one. You are right that ideology can drive people to do crazy stuff. I felt that way about Iran for a long time and still feel that way about NK. Maybe Pakistan can join that club too, who knows.
How does the top brass feel about the current POTUS. If the current POTUS decided to launch a war for political purposes, what would their view be? Would they follow orders or resist in some way?
They think he's a fucking idiot, unless you ask Mike Flynn. Then idk. But H.R., Dunford, Kelly, and Mattis (not 100% sure about him but definitely the other three), among other lower flag rank officers, all think he's bad. And those comments they make about him that leak are not false. They would never authorize POTUS to start a real war. It isn't just a one-and-done system where he can just do that. He is the most powerful person in government, but he doesn't have all the power. They need to be on board for stuff like that to really take off.
This is a Constitutional impossibility. The Constitution assigns the power to declare war to Congress. The president becomes the commander- in-chief of the military once a war is declared.
..
Arabic proverb: anything that happens once won't happen twice, but anything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.
I see it as a possibility, but not in our primes. Maybe when we're bunch of retired old people complaining about back pains and kids these days.
Why? Right now the world is too connected economically for a massive war to be even be an option. Also it seems to be the case to where we're slowly seeing the decline of American power and the rise of Inida, China, and Russia. Maybe even Brazil in couple decades.
My guess is that there will be a delicate balance of power amongst 4-5 major powers(US, China, Russia, India, and maybe Brazil) like in the late 19th century with Bismarck's "RealPolitik".
There will be no large scale war, but definitely a lot of medium scale economic warfare and proxy wars here and there.
But then here comes the issue. Right now, Russia is ruled by Putin, who despite being ruthless is a very capable leader who understands Russia's place in the world and how to maximize her interests. China, despite being a bully, is still a major player in the world economy. India is not quite there militarily with China. And the US is still a good place for free trade. Now in half a century or so later, none of this may be the case. Putin's successor or successor of a successor might be a pretty aggressive expansionist/interventionist in an indiscriminate way (like Wilhem II got rid of Realpolitik that waged war only when necessary but favored diplomacy instead initiating hyper-aggressive Weltpolitik). US vs China might force China to form its own economic block separate from the Free World. India is going to keep on vamping up its military to counter threats from Pakistan and China. And the US might become even more protectionist than ever.
At that point, the cost of all out war can become trivialized.Literally anything can set off the fuse. Maybe we'll run out of oil by then and renewable energy will not have caught up. Maybe China or India will invade one another over some border dispute and Russia joins in, forcing the US and its allies to join in. Maybe there will be a huge political struggle in Korea, triggering the next Korean War, China will get involved, US and Japan would as well.
Who knows. But I think the ultimate cause might be a repeat of WW1.
I think we’re closer to a Civil War than a World War.
Agreed and there is a topic dedicated to it. At the moment, if I commented on it, I would be crossing enemy lines, haha
With the US possessing the super-duper missiles the world has never seen before, no other county anywhere else in the world would start a fight against the US.
Is this sarcastic?
I mean it's more true just for regular nukes than mythical super nukes and applies to China, the US, and Russia. None of us are ever gonna fuck with one another on that scale.
Laboriosam exercitationem recusandae sit recusandae quis. Eius non suscipit non esse a. Nemo rerum voluptas accusamus qui corrupti ratione nesciunt.
Et tempore veritatis ipsam aspernatur. Ducimus iste ut quibusdam et alias. Nemo nam sit voluptas odio sapiente numquam eum vel. Quibusdam porro et totam quaerat voluptas amet consequatur.
Accusamus autem veritatis dicta iste quo debitis. Consequatur vel in dolor maxime non architecto. Nostrum est et ut ipsum eum nihil eaque.
Nemo magni accusantium enim iusto odio necessitatibus. Omnis dicta magni maxime quod sed deleniti. Repellat voluptate quod aut vitae odio voluptas neque. Sint reprehenderit non quia earum.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...