Do you think there will ever be another war like WWII?

[Cowabungaa]

From a political perspective, if it's happened before it can happen again as far as I'm concerned.

I'm not too sure about that. Thanks to the globalized economy every major country has way too much economic interest in the other to ever want to annihilate the other. Global politics is one big Aristocrats-like economic clusterfuck at the moment.

Technologically too much has changed as well to facilitate an all-out war like that. We fight differently these days.

 

[Colour Scientist]

I don't think a WW3 would happen. Yeah history repeats itself but WW2 was seriously fucked up and soooooo many people died. Why would the world want to make that mistake again?

That's what they said about WW1.

 

[Zipa]

Not on the scale we have seen with conventional weapons because nukes. If one major power decides to nuke another its all over for humanity, since the whole chain nuking thing will happen between each country and their allies and so on.

 

[DugMachine]

I don't think a WW3 would happen. Yeah history repeats itself but WW2 was seriously fucked up and soooooo many people died. Why would the world want to make that mistake again?

That's what they said about WW1.

Hmm good point. We're screwed

 

[Lethos]

I think globalization effectivly ended any threat of global war. The economies of the world are all too intertwined by this point. What effects one country effects all countries.

 

[scar_47]

It's doubtful looking back at both world wars it very apparent that even the "winners" suffered huge losses not just the lives but think of all the wasted money and materials, to wage war on such a scale requires a majority of a given nations resources I doubt many people would be willing to endure the conditions necessary to sustain such a war. Not to mention the radical shift to an interconnected global economy and the freedom of information via the net along with substantial governmental information networks makes knowing about a threat and dealing with it on a much smaller scale far more likely. With the advances in weapons technology we'd see something more akin to large scale air and sea warfare with very little use of ground troops until air superiority was established and at that point it's essentially mop up work, think along the lines of the first gulf war huge air bombardments followed buy ground troops doing some clean up operations.

As for wmd's I doubt they'd see much use due to fear of a like response, again look at the gulf war most nations wouldn't risk their existence on the use of such weapons. Nukes are even more unlikely than chemical or biological agents mainly due to the small number of nations that have them and again the concept of MAD. I'm not saying the use of nuclear weapons couldn't be used but what good is a phyric victory, the largest threat from nuclear weapons has always been either an accidental launch, or a rouge group or state acquiring them and being willing to use them due to religious extremism. But those are rather unlikely scenarios.

 

[MorganL4]

If you take modern tech into account, NO, why? Nukes... When you have a Nation like the USA with something like 80% of its Nuclear arsenal on board submarines that can go anywhere there is an ocean or sea connected to an ocean there really is no way we could have actual first world nation states going to war on that scale in modern times.

Now, some may point to the USA's current war in Afghanistan (or that one that supposedly just finished in Iraq) And to that I point out that: A First world vs Third world, and B instead of our entire male populations age 18-35 going to war we have an enlisted military force set on the backs of the lower middle - poor in regards to social/economic status.

Add to that the recent innovations of planes being flown in Pakistan by people who are on a military base in Arizona. Or self driving cars, and yeah, we are making war SO SO much less personal in today's world that we are able to have them for a decade and still do things like worry about being late to the premiere of The Avengers in theaters.

I mean seriously folks we have become WAY too detached from the ugliest part of human existence. In the old days, when a country went to war the King was on the front lines. Worst thing Bush had to deal with? a pretzel, and a shoe. It is a different world we live in, one where countries can be erased with the turn of 2 keys, and we are reaching the point, more and more where warriors don't need to be on the battlefield.

But to the ones that are, I do support wholeheartedly, and thank you for your service.

 

[theSteamSupported]

No. There is no money it in. Look t the world right now, dominated by the US military and it's allies. China is not a threat, they make too much money off the states, why would you attack one of your best customers?

I think globalization effectivly ended any threat of global war. The economies of the world are all too intertwined by this point. What effects one country effects all countries.

There. You two deserve cookies. Money is the number one reason a third world war isn't likely. Who can make money out of warzones and wastelands?

 

[Hazzard]

Every civilization contains the barely controlled barbarians.

no, we are far too civilised

Every Civilisation calls them something different, in the UK we call them CHAVs. If your struggling to think of yours then you need to think about what the "lower classes" who are cared for by the state are called and you have them. I am not saying they are all like that, but that is where you generally find them.

They conceivably could win just based on the man power they have alone.

China's manpower is needed to make their economy work, they couldn't sustain Human wave tactics and make all of the things in the factories.

The day China invades the US is the day you will see China collapse in upon itself. The US buys roughly 80% of their national exports if I recall correctly (cant find the article I read it in on Forbes)

Also, if China fought the USA, China would not be able to sell their stuff to any of the MEDC's (I hate the 3 World model, it was designed for the cold war, not now) because the USA would use its political power to have an Embargo placed on China, so only poor LEDC's could buy their stuff and there wouldn't be enough customers to buy all of China's exports.

I believe that China might eventually try to expand its borders to house all of its people, but it would either do this through alliances and diplomacy or threatening to nuke someone and get a country through appeasement, Hitler did it, only he threatened with Invasion, not WMD's.

 

[Thaluikhain]

If you take modern tech into account, NO, why? Nukes... When you have a Nation like the USA with something like 80% of its Nuclear arsenal on board submarines that can go anywhere there is an ocean or sea connected to an ocean there really is no way we could have actual first world nation states going to war on that scale in modern times.

Well, only about half, but the point is valid.

They invade us and they will lose millions upon millions of troops both if they try a sea or air landing, and their economy will come to a screeching halt, as the people who buy everything they make is suddenly tearing them apart. And if somehow they DO win, the US has mobile ICBM platforms in the form of submarines stationed all around the world for that very occasion, at best they will win a pyrrhic victory before the majority of their nation is turned into radioactive dust.

SLBMs, shorter ranged that ICBMs, but that's a quibble.

Their manpower and equipment would only be useful in land battles, they could make a good run of taking asia and europe, but they would have serious problems moving any of it to the Americas.

Asia or Europe would be beyond them, sending large forces beyond your own borders is no easy task at the best of times, even with land boundaries.

 

[MrPeanut]

Their manpower and equipment would only be useful in land battles, they could make a good run of taking asia and europe, but they would have serious problems moving any of it to the Americas.

Asia or Europe would be beyond them, sending large forces beyond your own borders is no easy task at the best of times, even with land boundaries.

Not to mention that India and Russia would easily stalemate the Chinese military, even if they managed to defeat those 2 their army would be in ruins.

 

[Vanitas likes Bubbles]

Well, I fucking hope not. At least hopefully not in my lifetime.

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

It could but I really hope it doesn't.