Poll: What could start a third world war?

[scarecrow350]

I'm interested to see how this would pan out, and what your opinions are on the subject
1. What would be more likely to start a war out of
-a lack of oil
-one country invading another
-less developed countries revolting against the more developed countries
(answer question one in the poll, the others are in case you wanted more of an input)
2. What do you think could be done to stop it
3.Would your country help start or finish it?
Leaving where you're from in your answers would be a big help too

 

[Durgiun]

I'm guessing that China will ask America to pay up what it owes and then America will throw the most collossal ***** fit the world has ever seen and presto - World War III.

 

[Vanitas likes Bubbles]

When the portal to the The Land Where Darkness Gathers is opened of coarse. It is the most logical option.

 

[HouseOfSyn]

The Palestinians finally flip and throw the Israeli's from their land ...
The U.S will send troops to support their Jewish friends ...
China will remind the U.S who owns them ...

World War Three.

Nothing to do with oil, The U.S get most of their oil from Alaska and have no need to squabble over the fields in the Middle East. The current wars have, however, helped the U.S get a good handle on heroin import/export.

Captcha : Global Warming. Or that, Good call captcha.

Edit: Oh, I'm from England and I wouldn't involve myself unless the war threatened my home, then I'd be first in line.

I honestly doubt we'd see a third global war. The current form of warfare funds the governments in just the right way. There's no reason they'd change that.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Er, the second war is likely to crop up in a war as a pretty major thing, you might say it's the cause, I guess.

Oh, bit of trivia.

Apparently, when Reagan was shot, in the UK, GCHQ was having trouble due to strikes, and in the USSR there was a major military exercise going on, just by coincidence.

So, from the PoV of various important US people, you have an attempt on the President's life, your major ally is having problems with their intelligence community and your major enemy's military is running round being much more active than usual all of a sudden.

When the Soviets found out what was going on, apparently they told everyone involved to stop whatever they were doing right away and not look remotely busy until things calmed down a bit.

 

[Folji]

Well...
WW1-someone invades Europe.
WW2-someone invades Europe.
WW3-someone invades Europe?

Although I can't see another World War happening at all.

More like someone in Europe invades someone else in Europe, then a bunch of other countries join in because they don't like to see their friends bullied around.

Hm... I bet North Korea would jump at a chance to flex their muscle in a new world war.

 

[HouseOfSyn]

Well...
WW1-someone invades Europe.
WW2-someone invades Europe.
WW3-someone invades Europe?

Although I can't see another World War happening at all.

World War I - Germany gets a mad on.
World War II - Germany gets a mad on due to World War I.
World War III - Germany rules Europe after Eurozone crisis?

Not too far from happening. In this case Germany have most Europe in their debt instead of under their boot.

Er, the second war is likely to crop up in a war as a pretty major thing, you might say it's the cause, I guess.

Oh, bit of trivia.

Apparently, when Reagan was shot, in the UK, GCHQ was having trouble due to strikes, and in the USSR there was a major military exercise going on, just by coincidence.

So, from the PoV of various important US people, you have an attempt on the President's life, your major ally is having problems with their intelligence community and your major enemy's military is running round being much more active than usual all of a sudden.

When the Soviets found out what was going on, apparently they told everyone involved to stop whatever they were doing right away and not look remotely busy until things calmed down a bit.

You need a gold star for that.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Well...
WW1-someone invades France.
WW2-someone invades France.
WW3-someone invades France?

Although I can't see another World War happening at all.

Fixed...(!)[footnote](Yes, yes, I know that wasn't it, but humour me... ribbing the French never gets old for a Brit.)[/footnote]

Anyway, just to be an arse, technically, it'd be the fourth world war. The first 'world war' (as opposed to First World War) was the Seven Years War, which debatably affected more of and involved more of the world than WWI.

Still, out of those choices... 'other', though I'm trying to put my finger on what scenario is most likely...

 

[orangeban]

If I had to take a stab in the dark, I'd say possibly this whole business with Israel and Iran? Because if Israel kicks up against Iran, then there's a good chance that America will get involved, especially if the Republicans are in charge at the time. If the USA kicks off, then we're looking at Britain getting involved. Meanwhile, Russia and China might very well side with Iran just to have a go at America.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Nothing, nuclear deterrent is kind of good for that. I guess if some evil guy gets a hold of nukes and then sends them at other countries that could start a war though.

 

[Hal10k]

I'm guessing that China will ask America to pay up what it owes and then America will throw the most collossal ***** fit the world has ever seen and presto - World War III.

That's not going to happen, simply because China isn't going to "call in" their debt anytime in the foreseeable future. Ignoring the fact that the national debt doesn't work like bank loans in the first place, it simply wouldn't be economically advantageous for China to attempt such a thing. The U.S. is China's single largest trading partner; they're making more money off of the U.S. simply by selling to them than they would by "calling in" the debt. If they did, it would likely result in the collapse of the Chinese economy: they would lose their primary source of national income, and the value of their currency would drop dramatically, because it's pegged to the value of the U.S. dollar.

 

[Erttheking]

If it's caused by a lack of oil I'm going to apply to my lock Vault-Tec Vault.

 

[TheIronRuler]

How about "Other", or "Lack of crucial resources other than oil".

Your poll is missing quite a few options. I dont see why "one country invading another" is a separate option either - countries dont invade each other for the lolz anymore. Nowadays oil is likely to be the driving force.

And less developed countries revolting? Ha! That would be a short war. I would love to see Somalia revolt against Europe. That war would be over in 5 minutes.

.
The war between The UK and Zanzibar is a better real example - it ended in less than one hour.
The shortest war to date, until Aliens arrive and obliterate us and we surrender within 20 minutes.

 

[DarkestBlue]

I'd say food and water scarcity caused by climate change leading to a bit of the ol' ultraviolence neo-colonialism. This could also take the form of India getting pissy at China for messing with their water supply (the Ganges starts on the Tibetan plateau in China) with dams and the like. Then you have tensions rising, divisions within the UN, before all out war is declared. North Korea takes the chance to troll Japan or China, while their attention's elsewhere, and there you have it - WWIII... At least that's my take on it.

 

[Vykrel]

North Korea seems to be looking for the answer to your question.

 

[TheIronRuler]

Well...
WW1-someone invades Europe.
WW2-someone invades Europe.
WW3-someone invades Europe?

Although I can't see another World War happening at all.

More like someone in Europe invades someone else in Europe, then a bunch of other countries join in because they don't like to see their friends bullied around.

Hm... I bet North Korea would jump at a chance to flex their muscle in a new world war.

.
North Korea will try to launch another nuke but this it it will get off the ground! And fall in their own territory. That would be something I will love to see.

 

[TheIronRuler]

No country has the resources or manpower to fight a third world war, and no one in their right mind wants to take over the world when they spend five minutes thinking about what ruling it entails.

Bet on a nuclear genocide of intractably primitive client states (with a prior media demonization campaign,) and following colonization, before any world war. Even if public sentiment is just as it was before WW2, the presence of nuclear weapons among the power players is a massive conventional conflict disincentive.

[hr]
That is if you do not involve Aliens in your calculations.

 

[LetalisK]

Well...
WW1-someone invades France.
WW2-someone invades France.
WW3-someone invades France?

Although I can't see another World War happening at all.

Fixed...(!)[footnote](Yes, yes, I know that wasn't it, but humour me... ribbing the French never gets old for a Brit.)[/footnote]

Anyway, just to be an arse, technically, it'd be the fourth world war. The first 'world war' (as opposed to First World War) was the Seven Years War, which debatably affected more of and involved more of the world than WWI.

Still, out of those choices... 'other', though I'm trying to put my finger on what scenario is most likely...

Translation for fellow Americans: He's talking about the war we know locally and was experienced as the French and Indian War. You know, that war that happened a little bit before the American Revolution and that's given maybe 5 minutes time in history classes despite being the war that not only set up the American Revolution but also dramatically shifted attitudes among colonists about Europe and Europe about colonists and probably set up the colonies as a unified nation more than the American Revolution did? Yeah, that one.