W W 3 ?

[Nik_B 3,790]

The more I think about it the more it really looks like we're in a gigantic mess and it all started with the financial crisis which started in 2008 and still hasn't ended. The US has 21 trillion in debt but is by far the strongest economy most likely to survive and can chose what it gets involved in. The Chinese are sitting on a bubble of debt which is probably going to explode at some point not to mention their economy is based on exports in a world of stagnation. I really do think the Eurozone is going to break up in to 3 blocks quite soon or maybe just vanish completely. Russia which has had 20 years of recovery is now under the weight of sanctions, surrounded by NATO and hostile countries and no one seems to be listening to their concerns. The more I think about it the more I cannot help think about the economy of the 1930s where every country was in it for themselves after the great depression, Germany under the penalties of the Versailles treaty was pushed to act eventually, is there any parallels with Russia? Political violence seems to be breaking out in the US and I think it really get bad in Europe with the continued rise of the so called 'far right'.

 

When you look at the flashpoints around the world there are so many of them as we've seen in the last couple of years.

 

Russia feeling increasingly threatened by NATO and has drawn a red line with Ukraine yet that conflict is frozen and will kick off again at some point. Moldova might be given membership to NATO which is only going to make matters worse.

 

North Korea isn't a country that can fight against the US and allies but historically the Chinese and Russians supported them with weapons and I think they might do again since it's not in their interest to see the US win anything

 

The Middle East is one gigantic proxy war but mainly there are two mini super powers now, the Gulf states Vs Iran/Syria and probably Iraq or what's left of it. Erdogan just won more powers from the people this weekend which will free him of the worry of democracy, Turkey has been much more active militarily recently and may decided to revive a mini empire leading the Sunnie nations again.

 

North Africa (especially Libya) and Africa proper is in a shambles but no-one seems to care too much about them.

 

Europe is in a complete mess politically and financially, it's militarily weak, and feeling threatened by a resurgent Russia, Turkey has caused it a lot of trouble with the millions of migrants it sent. When the EU does break up what will be the effects?

 

It reminds me of how the earth's tectonic plates are constantly shifting and grinding up against each other causing little earthquakes here and there but eventually the forces build up and you get a catastrophic one, I wonder if it was actually possible to avoid WW2 or was the die cast with the economic and political situation? The only thing preventing world war 3 is nuclear weapons in my opinion, but then WW2 was fought without chemical weapons even though everyone had them!