I think not, I hope not, but it's not inconceivable.
Possible flash points...Syria, Ukraine, an Israeli miscalculation, an Iranian miscalculation, some sort of nuclear accident.
The following countries have nukes: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel and Iran.
Is the possession of nukes a possible factor.
There is this most unusual thing on the Internet; an Albert Einstein quote actually said by said Einstein (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein#1940s).
I do not know how the Third World War will be fought, but I can tell you what they will use in the Fourth — rocks!
A multipolar world, when there is not one or two powers dominating it, tends to be more complex. Complexity breeds bugs. There is a lot of military hardware hanging around, more is likely to be produced.
Some have a different idea (http://qz.com/185945/drones-are-about-to-upheave-society-in-a-way-we-havent-seen-in-700-years/) of World War III.
The advantage of people with guns is that they are cheap and easy to train. In the modern day, it’s true that bombers, tanks, and artillery can lay waste to infantry—but those industrial tools of warfare are just so expensive that swarms of infantry can still deter industrialized nations from fighting protracted conflicts. Look at how much it cost the United States to fight the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, versus how much it cost our opponents. The hand-held firearm reached its apotheosis with the cheap, rugged, easy-to-use AK-47; with this ubiquitous weapon, guerrilla armies can still defy the mightiest nations on Earth.
The Age of the Gun is the age of People Power. The fact that guns don’t take that long to master means that most people can learn to be decent gunmen in their spare time. That’s probably why the gun is regarded as the ultimate guarantor of personal liberty in America—in the event that we need to overthrow a tyrannical government, we like to think that we can put down our laptops, pick up our guns, and become an invincible swarm. [...]
The day that robot armies become more cost-effective than human infantry is the day when People Power becomes obsolete. With robot armies, the few will be able to do whatever they want to the many. And unlike the tyrannies of Stalin and Mao, robot-enforced tyranny will be robust to shifts in popular opinion. The rabble may think whatever they please, but the Robot Lords will have the guns.
Forever.
Where this scenario really gets scary is when it combines with economic inequality. Although few people have been focusing on robot armies, many people have been asking what happens if robots put most of us out of a job. The final, last-ditch response to that contingency is income redistribution – if our future is to get paid to sit on a beach, so be it.
But with robot armies, that’s just not going to work. To pay the poor, you have to tax the rich, and the Robot Lords are unlikely to stand for that. Just imagine Tom Perkins with an army of cheap autonomous drones. Or Greg Gopman. We’re all worried about the day that the 1% no longer need the 99%–but what’s really scary is when they don’t fear the 99% either.
There are weaknesses with this line of argument, but I leave that as an exercise for the reader.
Unlike WW1 and WW2, WW3 won't be Germany's fault.
The following countries have nukes: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel and Iran.
Iran has nukes?
Unlike WW1 and WW2, WW3 won't be Germany's fault.
In the SNAFU that was the Great War the faults were widely spread, but Germany made the first move (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_I).
In the SNAFU that was the Great War the faults were widely spread, but Germany made the first move (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_I).
I'm talking more about the almost jittery willingness to go war (and thus the support promised to Austria-Hungary) than about invasions of Luxembourg. The Kaiser's Germany was not terribly pleasant.
The following countries have nukes: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel and Iran.
Iran has nukes?
My bad. (https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sherv.net%2Fcm%2Femoticons%2Fswearing%2Fstupid.gif&hash=7c77b6354d98a4cda3d94b4f2b15fbf4" rel="cached" data-hash="7c77b6354d98a4cda3d94b4f2b15fbf4" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/swearing/stupid.gif)
The Kaiser's Germany was not terribly pleasant.
Unlike most
armies, which are extremely pleasant. :faint:
The following countries have nukes: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel and Iran.
Iran has nukes?
My bad. (https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sherv.net%2Fcm%2Femoticons%2Fswearing%2Fstupid.gif&hash=7c77b6354d98a4cda3d94b4f2b15fbf4" rel="cached" data-hash="7c77b6354d98a4cda3d94b4f2b15fbf4" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/swearing/stupid.gif)
The Ukraine used to have the third largest stock of nuclear weapons, but they gave it up on the basis of inclusion of the Crimea in their country and the guarantee of their territorial integrity by the U.S., GB and Russia.
The Ukraine used to have the third largest stock of nuclear weapons, but they gave it up on the basis of inclusion of the Crimea in their country and the guarantee of their territorial integrity by the U.S., GB and Russia.
Well, nobody said that guarantees don't lapse over time. It's called the weakest link principle.
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thewisdomzone.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FBroken-Chain-TWZ.png&hash=1597e36489722b82987892cb3879eb13" rel="cached" data-hash="1597e36489722b82987892cb3879eb13" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.thewisdomzone.com/wp-content/uploads/Broken-Chain-TWZ.png)
The Kaiser's Germany was not terribly pleasant.
Unlike most armies, which are extremely pleasant. :faint:
I'm not really sure what you think I said or for that matter what you're saying, but Germany isn't an army. However, being overly militaristic is one of the things that made it unpleasant.
I like the concept that there were not exactly two distinct wars, but that The war began in '10s (this is the question 'why?'), lasted for a handful of long years being in its warm phase, then it was choked, making one side devastated, while the War's mainspring didn't vanish but was just buried under pressure of the Versailles.
What the Versailles did was not peace but only a ceasefire - which was "properly" used by the Germany side and not very much properly by the other one.
Prior to WW1, all of Europe was a militaristic powder keg just waiting for something-- like the assassination of an archduke-- to set it off. Once that happened, treaties set in place beforehand all but guaranteed WW1 would happen.
I don't know if we have quite the same thing in place today or not. Do we have treaties between nations that say, for example, that if Ukraine is invaded by Russia that NATO will come to the aid of Ukraine? That could be a touchpoint to get WW3 going. Right now, it doesn't sound like we do, much of Europe appears to want to stay out of the affairs of Russia and the former Soviet states and they seem to hope the US will stay out of it too. If that happens, there will be a local war between Russia and Ukraine, but that's about it. Maybe there won't even be a war as the weaker side realizes they don't have the force needed to have a hope of winning.
don't know if we have quite the same thing in place today or not. Do we have treaties between nations that say, for example, that if Ukraine is invaded by Russia that NATO will come to the aid of Ukraine?
Afaik NATO means that if a NATO member is attacked, we all come to their aid. Ukraine is (or was) an aspirant member only.
Is WWIII A Possibility? (https://dndsanctuary.eu/index.php?topic=262.msg14175#msg14175)
World War 3 is already happening and you are losing, in case that you can't see it at your television news.
Wouldn't like to think there would be such a calamity. Years ago the confrontation re the Cuban missle thing was a great worry and near the edge. However if nations spent less time interfering with someone else there would be less of a chance of disaster. Anyone who interferes with my obtaining an Irn Bru supply or the marching season should take care though.
The big question is Have nuclear weapons made WWIII unthinkable?
The big question is Have nuclear weapons made WWIII unthinkable?
You were thinking about it, weren't you? It's not only thinkable, movies have been made by media moguls that have thought long and hard of their profitability.
Otherwise as a big question for big countries with big bombs it isn't very likely. Smaller countries with smaller bombs is a different set of questions.
I don't think any of USA/NATO, Russia, or China are going to war with each other this century using nuclear firecrackers or otherwise.
:devil: Perhaps it's time to bomb the small countries before they do something stupid.:devil:
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.m5board.com%2Fvbulletin%2Fattachments%2Foff-topic-forum%2F81525d1240104996-top-fuel-acceleration-put-into-perspective-dr_strangelove_yee-haw_2.jpg&hash=2e4a5a182816bdb3c56fd88fce6c1368" rel="cached" data-hash="2e4a5a182816bdb3c56fd88fce6c1368" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/attachments/off-topic-forum/81525d1240104996-top-fuel-acceleration-put-into-perspective-dr_strangelove_yee-haw_2.jpg)
The Kaiser's Germany was not terribly pleasant.
And without Bismarck he wasn't terribly good at getting what he wanted :right:
Is WWIII A Possibility? (https://dndsanctuary.eu/index.php?topic=262.msg14175#msg14175)
World War 3 is already happening and you are losing, in case that you can't see it at your television news.
One hopes that our Portuguese friends will keep us well informed. :left:
One hopes that our Portuguese friends will keep us well informed. :left:
Once the Portuguese depression has ended, he'll willingly guide all of us. Until then, please don't mention it! :'( :no: Like rj, he knows everything there is to know about the US.
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mbc.net%2F.imaging%2Fstk%2Fmbc%2Fwidth-300%2Fwebsite%2Fcontentpool%2Far%2F2013%2F1%2F19%2F%25D9%2581%25D9%258A%25D8%25AF%25D9%258A%25D9%2588--%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D8%25B5%25D9%258A%25D9%2586%25D9%258A%25D9%2588%25D9%2586-%25D9%258A%25D8%25AD%25D8%25B1%25D9%2582%25D9%2588%25D9%2586-%25D8%25A3%25D9%2585%25D9%2588%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D8%25A7-%25D9%2585%25D8%25B2%25D9%258A%25D9%2581%25D8%25A9-%25D9%2584%25D8%25A5%25D8%25B1%25D8%25B3%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D9%2587%25D8%25A7-%25D8%25A5%25D9%2584%25D9%2589-%25D8%25A3%25D9%2585%25D9%2588%25D8%25A7%25D8%25AA%25D9%2587%25D9%2585%2FmainImageBinary%2F453fb2b18e5bea9881cfb6a22636690bc7fdbad8%2F1280px-Burning-money-and-yuanbao-at-the-cemetery-3249.JPG&hash=9340b841ec6909ba76c6dc3b69113ba7" rel="cached" data-hash="9340b841ec6909ba76c6dc3b69113ba7" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.mbc.net/.imaging/stk/mbc/width-300/website/contentpool/ar/2013/1/19/%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%88--%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%82%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7-%D9%85%D8%B2%D9%8A%D9%81%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B1%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87%D9%85/mainImageBinary/453fb2b18e5bea9881cfb6a22636690bc7fdbad8/1280px-Burning-money-and-yuanbao-at-the-cemetery-3249.JPG)
Bit late on the matter of bombing small countries jimbro. Serbia got that in 1999 and many innocents killed. Damnable.. Anyway a WW3 is a semi-regular throw-up in the world. Rogue State - stolen stuff - a skirmish going daft and so on. I think I would lean towards the side that says there will not be one. Well as long as you keep McCain out the White House (Ryan too). Bothare like someone who has skipped out an open day in a mental hospital. Let us all depend on wise counsel.
Whenever McCain and Palin come to mind, I pause for a couple of seconds and give thanks.
I'd sooner have Smileyfaze and Lex Luthor as President and Vice President.
Whenever McCain and Palin come to mind, I pause for a couple of seconds and give thanks.
I'd sooner have Smileyfaze and Lex Luthor as President and Vice President.
What-ever can happen will happen if we make trials enough.
- Augustus De Morgan
:devil:
Whenever McCain and Palin come to mind, I pause for a couple of seconds and give thanks.
I'd sooner have Smileyfaze and Lex Luthor as President and Vice President.
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fih1.redbubble.net%2Fimage.15545214.4785%2Fsticker%2C375x360.u1.png&hash=0e8b6a181264d5e6013e2ef09b33ea9e" rel="cached" data-hash="0e8b6a181264d5e6013e2ef09b33ea9e" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://ih1.redbubble.net/image.15545214.4785/sticker,375x360.u1.png)
I had no idea that Cthulhu was a Republican.
Dear Oh dear, jimbro. You really are frustrated wanting Smilefaze a terrorist supporter as Pres or Vice-Pres. Pity you hadn't picked a routine dumpling.
Glad you mentioned the routine dumpling because it made me look for Scottish dumpling, where I found a recipe for clootie dumpling. My mother made it every winter, and it was one of my favorites.
If I had the steaming pans, I'd make it. Delicious.
Well if I was you get out that cumfy chair and try and find the needed utensils. Clooty dumpling is a fine old Scots tradition and as you rightfully say - delicious. My mother used to make it too and put in a bowl with some milk, hhhm. Go on let your memory of a fine lady and an equally fine stomach filler not bring just a sigh, lip smacking and a smile. Go for it boy! :up:
Well if I was you get out that cumfy chair and try and find the needed utensils.
If you'll promise to get out of your comfy anti-US bias, I'll get out of my comfy chair. But I won't look for the pans here because they're simply not available in the configuration I'm interested in. It's an odd pan that a store here wouldn't sell two of in a year.
I had no idea that Cthulhu was a Republican.
Nah, it's the republicans trying to be like Cthulhu ( while completely missing the point of course )
I had no idea that Cthulhu was a Republican.
Nah, it's the republicans trying to be like Cthulhu ( while completely missing the point of course )
:devil: They're close to mastering it. :D
Oh I do not deny I have an anti-America bias (individuals are different!) but you need to get out of your own seething Russian bias. Unfortunately as a nation and what it continually does in the world causes so much problems contradicting what is supposed to stand for.always open for a swipe! As it happens I lead a very active life and don't sit at a keyboard as much as your goodself. So not being a cumfy chair fanatic I have nothing to be concerned about and I walk miles into the bargain. So bring the past back to life and do a dumpling.Make one and I will leave Yank land alone - for a week.......
Is it simply anit-Russia bias or cold-war grudges, Howie? Or maybe we're looking at what Putin's doing now and what he's done in the not so distant past. For the moment the WWIII scenario isn't a small rogue state, but what he does with those troops he keeps piling up at the Ukrainian border.
Oh I do not deny I have an anti-America bias (individuals are different!) but you need to get out of your own seething Russian bias.
I have nothing against Russia or Russians. Wherever did you get that idea?
Others are less kind to Russia's king, however.
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fpolittech.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F02%2Fking.jpg&hash=ec49a70da1603126848003710a7fdd48" rel="cached" data-hash="ec49a70da1603126848003710a7fdd48" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://polittech.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/king.jpg)
Vladimir Putin has lost the plot over Ukraine, according to the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.
US reports said Merkel phoned Barack Obama on Sunday evening after speaking to the Russian president to press him to back down from his invasion of Ukraine and occupation of the Crimean peninsula.
"She was not sure he was in touch with reality, people briefed on the call said. 'In another world,' she said," the New York Times reported.
"She was not sure he was in touch with reality, people briefed on the call said. 'In another world,' she said," the New York Times reported.
She quickly denied saying that, and claimed that she merely said Putin had a different perspective on things. I interpret that as a half truth. If I were Obama, my instinctive reaction to
that phone call would be something like "No shit, Angie!" I think we can safely assume the call was indeed about Putin. But regardless whether Merkel said that Putin "has a different perspective" or that Putin "has gone crazy", that obviously would've been followed by something along the lines of "and how shall we respond?"
"She was not sure he was in touch with reality, people briefed on the call said. 'In another world,' she said," the New York Times reported.
She quickly denied saying that, ...
Apart from that - since when, transcripts of confidential talks between foreign leaders and the White House get forwarded to US media?
You really are talking silly there Sanguinemoon. All that Putin has done in the past?? What "all." It has utterly no comparison with what the USA has been doing for decades and no similarity whatsoever. It is a Cold War fanatical nonsense going on by the media being fed lies by politicians.
Meanwhile to the mania jimbro has about Russia bashing (imagine such stuff coming from a land that almost exists for bashing others). President Putin is NOT a Communist so why a crown with a daft Bolshie symbol. Heavens you cannot even get satire right in your fanaticism. I noted that the US ambassador to the UN has publicly sated that many of the countries (espeically small ones) that voted against Russia were leaned on in private. But there again being funded by the US it tells a story.
It wasn't that long ago. Maybe you suffer from Putinesia?
Oh it is your pal from Michigan that has such. You just absorb what convenient propaganda states. As for when it is well over 20 years now and just think of all the mayhem caused in the world by you know who in the West. I dare say the Dandy and Beano were a help to you as you grew up?
I think I'd like Sanguinemoon, but like everybody here, I don't know him.
Britain's oldest comic, The Dandy, is facing closure after 75 years.
Rj is ahead of the game, since he's under 75.
Jim is over 75 and not facing closure...he hopes. Sadly, one never knows. :insane:
No Sanguinemoon I don't suffer from that. Ehrm, I think jimbro does though and I only try to balance the situ more. Meanwhile I continue to lead an active life. Plenty of walking (new walking boots!), speaking at meetings now and then and enjoying my hobbies. As we all get older we need to not give in to it but think younger than you are and always involved in what is a round us. I am planning to visit two foreign countries this year and still involved in leadership activity and so on.The grass doesn't grow under my feet and I am too fast for the weeds.
Congratulations on the new walking boots. Now you just need new reading material, something that isn't Russian propaganda.
Rj showing off new boots.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBqlfKtqTgc[/video]
:up:
:up: :up:
http://politix.topix.com/debate/11250-could-world-war-iii-happen (http://politix.topix.com/debate/11250-could-world-war-iii-happen)
You are well and truly an easy man to fool Sanguinemoon. The Western propaganda has well and truly fooled you look others. You refuse to see any change in Russia since the internal overthrow of the USSR.
Meanwhile for the less easily fooled there are possibilities for some dangerous stuff in the world. The situation on iran which is another Western nonsense or now Turkey playing stupid games with Syria and involving itself in that conflict. Throw in the matter of navies sailing about near red China too. However whether they would morph into WW3 is open of course. Interesting how the leader of the free world goes ballistic about Iran even though that country has time after time said it doesn't want the bomb the 61st State known as Israel is keeping mum about it's nuclear.
Is WWIII A Possibility? (https://dndsanctuary.eu/index.php?topic=262.msg14175#msg14175)
Yes, but I need someone to supply me the ammunition with credit.
I'll pay after winning.
Is WWIII A Possibility? (https://dndsanctuary.eu/index.php?topic=262.msg14175#msg14175)
Yes, but I need someone to supply me the ammunition with credit.
I'll pay after winning.
That's the traditional way to do it. Even better if you can make them pay you for not raiding their monasteries :right:
Or nunneries?
That's the traditional way to do it.
Not at all Macallan, usually the side that loses pays for everything...
the ingredient of WWIII is insanity .
i/e ; if U.S government insane enuf to Nuke every Country ,
then there will be WWIII.
That's the traditional way to do it.
Not at all Macallan, usually the side that loses pays for everything...
Obviously, you plunder what you can from the losers so you can pay your troops ( and the loans you used to hire them ) and hopefully still make a profit.
That's the traditional way to do it.
Not at all Macallan, usually the side that loses pays for everything...
Obviously, you plunder what you can from the losers so you can pay your troops ( and the loans you used to hire them ) and hopefully still make a profit.
Very good you understand the Art of War (read Sun-Tzu, it's fundamental). Now, where are the capitalists to finance it?
I must work on something (so it says Mrs Merkel) and War seems to me an entertaining occupation. No taxes and a decent probability for profit.
All those Texas oil camps just waiting for me to occupy them. :)