Would it be possible to have WWIII?

Answer 1

WAR ON TERRORISM=JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR WWW3

Answer 2

A global-spanning conflict is quite possible but it is unlikely to be fought by or over any of the players you see on the stage right at the moment. See, if you look at WWI and WWII you see that the primary antagonists on both sides consisted of the most powerful nations on the planet contesting against each other.

The conflicts in the world today all involve the big players (US, Europe, Asia) but the key powers are all essentially on the same side. Even China and India don't want Iran to have nuclear weaponry so while they may use different paths the US, Britain, EU, China, and India are all essentially heading in the same direction.

No WWIII will have the big bruisers on opposite sides of the board and is much more likely to occur in the Indian and Pacific oceans then in the Persian Gulf. An example of a such a flash event might be the forcible annexation of Taiwan by the Chinese. There are US warships and US troops in the way and China would have to go through them to get to Taiwan. This would be a serious act of war on the part of the Chinese and would almost certainly trigger an armed response by both the US and Britain who both have significant financial interests in the little island of financial traders. There are even some scenarios that pit an expansionistic India, Korea, and China on one side with the US, Britain, and the Russian Republics on the other with Europe and Japan remaining neutral. You'll notice that I keep implying that nations like India, China, or Korea might ignite such a conflict through aggressive actions on their own. This isn't to imply that these nations are more war-like then any other. It is implying that these nations simply have more to gain by such a course. The major powers (US, Britain, Europe) already control the territories and resources that they need or want. China needs more technological innovation and effective leadership but they have the financial muscle and the manpower. India has the technological innovation but they lack the economic power to project force into blue water. Korea has the leadership skills and the tech but they lack the manpower and the money. All of them are relatively resource-poor and all of them are on the edge of super-power status. Fortunately for the western powers these three nations have dramatically differing political climates that make an alliance between them something very difficult to hold on to.

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that the growing tensions between Iran and Britain boil over. Even if the US doesn't get involved, Britain has the military might to stomp Iran into the ground. Even if they did get into trouble Big Brother US and tough little Israel is standing by to help out. Who can Iran turn to for help? Not China. Not the Russian Republics. Not India. Not the rest of mainland Europe. Even the French would step aside. Even within the Middle East, Iran isn't going to get much in the way of support. The Saudis and the Kuwatis are not going to throw off the protection of the US military knowing that Iran has made grumbles in the past about swallowing them up. So where - Jordan, the UAE? Nope, they are becoming more and more western everyday. Iran's religious leaders have been burning bridges and painting their country into a corner for years. The big players who could legitimately challenge the US and bring about a WWIII scale of conflict have no real interest in joining the squabble because there is not much margin in it for them. No if the big players are going to risk Armageddon it has to be for a bigger pot then Iran or the "War on Terrorism."

Answer 3

Have you heard of the Yom Kippur war in 1973, Israel vs a coalition of Arab nations....Egypt, Syria and Jordan. That was worse than the current situation.....it didn't raise a blip on the world war scenario (not that it didn't have the potention as a spark)...just relegated to the heap of regional conflicts between rump states. When the strategic super powers square off into two camps, then come back and we'll talk world war.

Until then, just think regional conflicts, proxy wars, and brinksmanship.... After the next world war, we'll be back into the stone age and you won't have to worry whether a world war occurred or not.

There are currently 40 (+ or -) conflicts in the world right now, but none are between the super powers in open declarations of war. Is WWIII possible, yes its possible, but not likely. The MAD doctrine has kept us from the brink of global suicide for over 50 years.

Answer 4

Already started, It'll be different than the last though.

China will take N. Korea .The USA will give the middle east a enema. France, Germany, Spain, Turkey , will be forced to take action against radical Islam after many more attacks. And in the end the US will lead a coalition into S. America and Cuba to flush the rest of the Communists and radicals to the far reaches of hell. Russia will sit back like the ADD brother and instigate and support both sides and take pop shots until its own people revolt and take Puttins seat away and elect a capitalist president.

Answer 5

Why not? We had 1 and 2! Humans are never happy with what they have and will always seek more gain than they can handle. Why do neighbors argue about where a dog poops? There are so many frivolous things that humans can't cope with. How about road rage?
OK these couldn't start a world war, but it shows you how stupid humans really are.

Still, there are some very nice and wonderful people in our world!

Answer 6

Depends on how bad we **** off the DPRK (North Korea), and how fast 2008 can get here (Goodbye Bush!!!) So it's absolutely possible to have a WWIII, here's hoping we don't!

Answer 7

I think that we are tiptoeing around the edge of it now. Our country is fighting in two counties, the Asian dictator is a nut, South Africa is in turmoil, South America is not happy. Yes, it can happen and one big reason is, too many people for the land to support and water shortages, so they compete by killing off the surplus populations. Best wishes

Answer 8

Currently there his an economic war being waged between multiple powers. The powers include the United States and Britain, versus France, Germany, Russia, and China. The American and British Oil companies Amoco and British Petroleum merged back in 98, joining Americas' and Britains' oil industries. The U.S. imports their oil mostly from:
1. Canada
2. Mexico
3. Saudi Arabia(only middle eastern country)
4. Venezuela

French Oil Conglomerate Total and German oil company Elf Aquitaine, merged interlocking the two countries' oil industries. Total won contracts with Saddam Hussein's regime to develop the Majnoon and Nahr Umar oil fields in southern Iraq, consisting of 25% of Iraq's oil reserves. This combined with the fact that France controlled over 22.5 percent of Iraq's imports prior to the U.S. led invasion and French total trade with Iraq totaled $3.1 billion since 1996, gives you a pretty clear picture as to why France so fiercely opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq. France also has oil contracts with Iran.

Gazprom, The world's biggest owner of oil and oil equivalent in natural gas, supplies 36% of Germany's natural gas and 25% of France's. The Russian and French oil markets have interconnected with the Total, Gazprom merger. Also The former Soviet Union was the premier supplier of Iraqi arms. From 1981 to 2001, Russia supplied Iraq with 50 percent of its arms.

According to a report from SIPRI, from 1981 to 2001, China was the second largest supplier of weapons and arms to Iraq, supplying over 18 percent of Iraq's weapons imports. China National Oil Company, partnered with China North Industries Corp., negotiated a 22-year-long deal for future oil exploration in the Al Ahdab field in southern Iraq before the invasion.

The war in Iraq and Afghanistan, were waged to seize control over the major oil fields and pipelines in those areas and remove the ability for France, Germany, Russia and China to trade with Iraq and Afghanistan. In actuality, we didn't attack Iraq and Afghanistan, we attacked the big oil companies and weapons suppliers of France, Germany, Russia, and China. These countries also have economic ties with Iran, whom it seems we are about to invade, further depleting their imports of middleastern oil while increasing ours. Having said all of that, it certainly seems as though a massive global conflict is right around the corner.

Answer 9

No.There will never be a Conventional conflict on that scale again.Ever.The next world war three will be fought with WMD's.

Albert Einstein said,"i know not the weapons ww3 will be fought with,However i know ww4 will be fought with sticks and stones"

Answer 10

More likely than unlikely, just look at whats going on in the world. There is just to much hate

Answer 11

It is possible. It would probably be fought by armies and terrorists alike, using bombs, chemical-biological-nuclear weapons.

Of course, this would mean that WW4 would be fought with pointed sticks and big rocks.