Think this world is heading to World War III?

[SaintMalachi]

I've been thinking with this whole Syria thing going on. Doing you think that our world is going to dragged into a living hell? That's what it feels like to me ever since I was in High School I've thought to myself "This world is rotting." There's even a part of me that just wants what ever is coming whether it be World War III or something worse to just happen and be over already.

Everything just seems hopeless.

 

[dgirl1986]

Does a war between Syria and the US count as a world war?

 

[SaintMalachi]

Does a war between Syria and the US count as a world war?

Oh that's not what I meant I just feel like that's where we're heading.

 

[dgirl1986]

Oh that's not what I meant I just feel like that's where we're heading.

Ohhhh ok. Well I do not even understand war itself really, especially when people use religion as a reason somewhere along the line. I do not see why there is a need for violence and death to achieve so called peace. Never worked before, why will it work now?

 

[YmirGF]

Does a war between Syria and the US count as a world war?

Hehe. You have to admit that it does add an interesting twist to Obama's catch-phrase "Muslim outreach program". Aside from this, America needs a war with another Muslim majority country to show the world they really care. So-called "smart power" in action, I guess.

 

[dgirl1986]

Hehe. You have to admit that it does add an interesting twist to Obama's catch-phrase "Muslim outreach program". Aside from this, America needs a war with another Muslim majority country to show the world they really care. So-called "smart power" in action, I guess.

Muslim outreach program? Did I miss something?

One thing that confuses me is how we have so many peaceful muslims but its the extremists in these kind of situations that become the face of the religion. Ugh.

 

[YmirGF]

Muslim outreach program? Did I miss something?

One thing that confuses me is how we have so many peaceful muslims but its the extremists in these kind of situations that become the face of the religion. Ugh.

Well, you are down under, so I'll cut you some slack.

USDOJ: US Attorney's Office - Eastern District of Tennessee


White House, NASA, Defend Comments About NASA Outreach to Muslim World Criticized by Conservatives - ABC News

etc...

I wonder if the drone strikes are part of that Outreach?

 

[dgirl1986]

Well, you are down under, so I'll cut you some slack.

USDOJ: US Attorney's Office - Eastern District of Tennessee


White House, NASA, Defend Comments About NASA Outreach to Muslim World Criticized by Conservatives - ABC News

etc...

I wonder if the drone strikes are part of that Outreach?

Um...ok...not sure what to think of this lol

 

[YmirGF]

I've been thinking with this whole Syria thing going on. Doing you think that our world is going to dragged into a living hell? That's what it feels like to me ever since I was in High School I've thought to myself "This world is rotting." There's even a part of me that just wants what ever is coming whether it be World War III or something worse to just happen and be over already.

Everything just seems hopeless.

Forgive me, but you sound young. Life can suck when we find out that it isn't what we thought it was supposed to be like. Welcome to the real world.

 

[InformedIgnorance]

Personally I do think WWIII isnt that far away, but unlike most other people who seem to hold that view for me it has nothing to do with hoping for the rapture or judgement day or some other such.

I simply think that those nations currently in a position of power will seek to maintain that position despite the lackluster status of their institutions, economies, education systems etc.

As for the syrian issue? barely warrants a mention with regards to these forces.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I've been thinking with this whole Syria thing going on. Doing you think that our world is going to dragged into a living hell? That's what it feels like to me ever since I was in High School I've thought to myself "This world is rotting." There's even a part of me that just wants what ever is coming whether it be World War III or something worse to just happen and be over already.

Everything just seems hopeless.

Stop watching and reading the "news." And step away from the internet for awhile. The only thing that's rotting is peoples' brains from overexposure to messages about the sky falling. Trust me, the state of the world is nothing new, and doomsayers have been crying about the end of the world being imminent for as long as their have been people.

 

[BSM1]

Ohhhh ok. Well I do not even understand war itself really, especially when people use religion as a reason somewhere along the line. I do not see why there is a need for violence and death to achieve so called peace. Never worked before, why will it work now?

Actually it's worked many times before. For example, we haven't had to fight any Europeans or Japanese for over 60 years.

 

[Poeticus]

Actually it's worked many times before. For example, we haven't had to fight any Europeans or Japanese for over 60 years.

Let's be honest, Soviet Russia won the war in Europe by fighting on the ground, while America won in the Pacific by nuking a part of a country that a majority of Americans back at home couldn't even name, pronounce properly, nor understand the repercussions.

 

[BSM1]

Let's be honest, Soviet Russia won the war in Europe by fighting on the ground, while America won in the Pacific by nuking a part of a country that a majority of Americans back at home couldn't even name, pronounce properly, nor understand the repercussions.

Even if what you say had any validity whatsoever, the results were the same.

 

[Revoltingest]

I won't predict what will happen until after it does.
And even then, I've only a 67% success rate.

 

[Leftimies]

I've been thinking with this whole Syria thing going on. Doing you think that our world is going to dragged into a living hell? That's what it feels like to me ever since I was in High School I've thought to myself "This world is rotting." There's even a part of me that just wants what ever is coming whether it be World War III or something worse to just happen and be over already.

Everything just seems hopeless.

Syria is not where Third World War is at. Libya wasn't, Iraq wasn't, Afghanistan wasn't. Even the Korean war, where over 20 nations participated in and in which over three million people died, didn't count as a world war. Syria is, regardless of how horrible, a "small case". Feels bad to put it that way.

I am rather certain that next world war will be born from Far-East, having the rise of mainland China in the spotlight. So many things of so many different contextual levels going on there:
- the escalating situation of the two Chinas: between People's Republic of China (PRC) and Republic of China (ROC).
- the escalating situation in the resource rich South China Sea: mainly between PRC, ROC and Philippines.
- the crisis-engine that is inter-Korean politics: by sheer numbers the largest army in the world (North Korea) and one of the most technologically capable armies in the world (South Korea) being head-to-head and still in war.
- the re-arming of Japanese state, major cause of tensions but understandable. Japan is a major global military power and on collision course with PRC.
- United States shifting the focus of its foreign policy to Asia-Pacific region; visible as troop deployments, growing naval presence, among others.

Take into consideration the context of these things.
- Japan is still hated in PRC and North Korea for what it did during first half of Showa period, and its re-armament is not regarded with pleasure.
- PRC is hell bent on re-taking ROC-held Taiwan island. Meanwhile, ROC still regards all of China and Mongolia to be under its jurisdiction.
- North Korea starts to run out of options - and time. This puts the regime under very heavy stress, as it will soon be impossible to maintain the state. Conquering the southern neighbor would, however, solve all the problems temporarily, at least in theory. Motive is there.
- Territorial disputes between Japan and PRC, Japan and Korea, Japan and Russia. Populistic movements of all parties hating on each other.

If someone makes one slippery move in the foreign policy of this region, he opens such can o' worms, that even Pandora herself would get judgmental. In any case, Syria is not to be worried about as a global crisis.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

This world has always been dreary and depressing. This hasn't changed in thousand, millions, of years. The state of the world now isn't any different than it ever has been.

WWIII will eventually happen, but Syria won't be the cause, or at least the immediate cause, of it. More than likely, it's going to be a war between China, possibly with Russian help, versus America and whatever nations decide to join it. And it's going to be worse than all other wars of the last two centuries combined.

 

[Falvlun]

While I could see Syria being the straw that broke the camel's back, I don't think we will see the sort of wars that were WW1 and WW2. It seems to me that that sort of war is going the way of the dinosaur.

I can't really articulate how the new sort of world war would manifest itself, but I have a feeling that there really won't be armies meeting each other in battle anymore. There will be drones and missiles. There will be espionage and sabotage. But I think we are going to have to adjust what we consider war, and what a world at war would look like.

 

[InformedIgnorance]

snip

While I agree on almost all of this (frubals my good man), I would note that the omission of international influence and non regional military assets in the east china sea is a rather significant one.

At the same time, the russian angle is one that should be given more note when we examine the potential for a major international conflict. Russia like china is frequently constrained by western powers and is having western military assets moved into location in nations along their border. Like China has had their attempts to secure resources stymied by western powers (just as has happened in reverse). Russia is just as likely to be a player in WWIII as china (indeed if it happens sooner then Russia is MORE likely that china whereas if it happens later china is more likely). Though both are likely to get involved when you consider how close their economic and military efforts have been in recent years.

With this backdrop, Japan as you mentioned and the often overlooked India emerge as vital regional powers. Were either of these two to ally with Russia and China, the resulting block would likely eclipse those that have historically sought to obstruct them. This would particularly be so were they able to convince Japan, but tbh I believe that less likely than to convince India.

Africa, the Arctic, the Middle East and the South China Sea, are all potential triggers for WWIII if we are to assume that Russia or China are to be parties to this war; one that would likely result from the current cold war like climate of geo-political positioning and economic influences. When put that way, it IS possible that an event like Syria could precipitate a wider conflict in theory. However the time is not yet right for those that might seek to prevent the furthering of western influence in the middle east.

And to be brutally honest, even if western nations are in WW3 they may not even be central players in the conflict (it could be russia vs china vs india for example) if we continue our current trends in terms of economic mismanagement, reduced industrial competence and rampant consumerism, we have made our nations both poorer and less able to support themselves (two very different things).

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I can't see something as big as a World War happening any time soon, but I can understand the possibility of wars happening again is high.