The start of World War III
Discussion
First the Russian invasion of Ukraine which started on 24th February 2022.
Then the 7th October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel which started the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.
India-Pakistan are on a high state of alert after the 22nd April 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack which started an attack by India against Pakistan on 7th May 2025.
Then the Israeli attack on Iran on 15th June 2025 which has now involved the USA attacking Iran on 22nd June 2025. Iran have now started targeting US military bases in Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain and UAE.
We also have tension between China-Taiwan which could boil over at any time.
North Korea have been developing Nuclear weapons and also using Cyber attacks against the western world.
It just shows that in this day and age the UN and NATO are helpless in stopping any kind of conflict.
It might not involve the escalation into using Nuclear weapons or troops on the ground but a new kind of Hybrid warfare using ballistic missiles, drones and cyber attacks.
Is this the start of World War 3?
Then the 7th October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel which started the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.
India-Pakistan are on a high state of alert after the 22nd April 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack which started an attack by India against Pakistan on 7th May 2025.
Then the Israeli attack on Iran on 15th June 2025 which has now involved the USA attacking Iran on 22nd June 2025. Iran have now started targeting US military bases in Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain and UAE.
We also have tension between China-Taiwan which could boil over at any time.
North Korea have been developing Nuclear weapons and also using Cyber attacks against the western world.
It just shows that in this day and age the UN and NATO are helpless in stopping any kind of conflict.
It might not involve the escalation into using Nuclear weapons or troops on the ground but a new kind of Hybrid warfare using ballistic missiles, drones and cyber attacks.
Is this the start of World War 3?
Supersam83 said:
First the Russian invasion of Ukraine which started on 24th February 2022.
Then the 7th October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel which started the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.
India-Pakistan are on a high state of alert after the 22nd April 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack which started an attack by India against Pakistan on 7th May 2025.
Then the Israeli attack on Iran on 15th June 2025 which has now involved the USA attacking Iran on 22nd June 2025. Iran have now started targeting US military bases in Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain and UAE.
We also have tension between China-Taiwan which could boil over at any time.
North Korea have been developing Nuclear weapons and also using Cyber attacks against the western world.
It just shows that in this day and age the UN and NATO are helpless in stopping any kind of conflict.
It might not involve the escalation into using Nuclear weapons or troops on the ground but a new kind of Hybrid warfare using ballistic missiles, drones and cyber attacks.
Is this the start of World War 3?
NATO isn't there to stop conflicts in other parts of the world.Then the 7th October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel which started the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.
India-Pakistan are on a high state of alert after the 22nd April 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack which started an attack by India against Pakistan on 7th May 2025.
Then the Israeli attack on Iran on 15th June 2025 which has now involved the USA attacking Iran on 22nd June 2025. Iran have now started targeting US military bases in Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain and UAE.
We also have tension between China-Taiwan which could boil over at any time.
North Korea have been developing Nuclear weapons and also using Cyber attacks against the western world.
It just shows that in this day and age the UN and NATO are helpless in stopping any kind of conflict.
It might not involve the escalation into using Nuclear weapons or troops on the ground but a new kind of Hybrid warfare using ballistic missiles, drones and cyber attacks.
Is this the start of World War 3?
Gecko1978 said:
Yeah WWIII would imply nations plural versus other nations plural where as all this is single state v single state
WWI started (broadly) because of one or more nations in effect guaranteeing the security of others.The sort of alliances that triggered military conflict in WW1 are not materially different to, say, the Budapest Memorandum, and certainly less robust than NATO treaties. One might argue that WW3 didn't start in 2014 because the US and UK in effect refused to honour the Budapest Memorandum.
Is the US' commitment to Taiwan more or less robust than those that triggered declarations of war in 1914? What about the mutual defence agreement between the US and Israel? Or the UK's Project HEZUK?
I can't see Iran declaring war on anyone, nor do I think Russia is going to convert its military and defence cooperation pact with Iran into a mutual defence agreement (such a clause being rather obviously missing).
It seems to be a bleak situation but maybe I am just noticing the general state of the world as I get older versus when I was younger and didn't really care or have as much exposure to world events but I don't think we are any closer to WW3 now than we have been over the last 80 years.
Whilst the US involvement in Iran may trigger an even bigger war that NATO nations may get pulled into, like with Iraq, I don't think an all-out world war is on the cards.
As others have posted, Russia is fully engaged with Ukraine and it is unlikely they have the resources to get involved elsewhere. China are too interested in international trade and its economy - a military conflict would affect this.
With Trump "leading" the US, I can see him going to direct war with Iran, especially now that they have sent a small, calculated missile strike on US bases as retaliation for the recent bombings. He has too big of an ego to let that go.
Lets just hope we're not dragged into it all.
Whilst the US involvement in Iran may trigger an even bigger war that NATO nations may get pulled into, like with Iraq, I don't think an all-out world war is on the cards.
As others have posted, Russia is fully engaged with Ukraine and it is unlikely they have the resources to get involved elsewhere. China are too interested in international trade and its economy - a military conflict would affect this.
With Trump "leading" the US, I can see him going to direct war with Iran, especially now that they have sent a small, calculated missile strike on US bases as retaliation for the recent bombings. He has too big of an ego to let that go.
Lets just hope we're not dragged into it all.
a311 said:
I don t think so (and hopefully not).
To have a world war, you typically need a major ideological divide with multiple nations aligning on either side. We re not quite there at least, not yet.
My bigger concern would be if China sees this as an opportune moment to move on Taiwan.
I think somebody wrote that either WW3 or WW4 would be Islam v China?To have a world war, you typically need a major ideological divide with multiple nations aligning on either side. We re not quite there at least, not yet.
My bigger concern would be if China sees this as an opportune moment to move on Taiwan.
OutInTheShed said:
a311 said:
I don t think so (and hopefully not).
To have a world war, you typically need a major ideological divide with multiple nations aligning on either side. We re not quite there at least, not yet.
My bigger concern would be if China sees this as an opportune moment to move on Taiwan.
I think somebody wrote that either WW3 or WW4 would be Islam v China?To have a world war, you typically need a major ideological divide with multiple nations aligning on either side. We re not quite there at least, not yet.
My bigger concern would be if China sees this as an opportune moment to move on Taiwan.
TREMAiNE said:
It seems to be a bleak situation but maybe I am just noticing the general state of the world as I get older versus when I was younger and didn't really care or have as much exposure to world events but I don't think we are any closer to WW3 now than we have been over the last 80 years.
Whilst the US involvement in Iran may trigger an even bigger war that NATO nations may get pulled into, like with Iraq, I don't think an all-out world war is on the cards.
As others have posted, Russia is fully engaged with Ukraine and it is unlikely they have the resources to get involved elsewhere. China are too interested in international trade and its economy - a military conflict would affect this.
With Trump "leading" the US, I can see him going to direct war with Iran, especially now that they have sent a small, calculated missile strike on US bases as retaliation for the recent bombings. He has too big of an ego to let that go.
Lets just hope we're not dragged into it all.
My biggest worry is a possible change in the opinions towards nuclear weaponsWhilst the US involvement in Iran may trigger an even bigger war that NATO nations may get pulled into, like with Iraq, I don't think an all-out world war is on the cards.
As others have posted, Russia is fully engaged with Ukraine and it is unlikely they have the resources to get involved elsewhere. China are too interested in international trade and its economy - a military conflict would affect this.
With Trump "leading" the US, I can see him going to direct war with Iran, especially now that they have sent a small, calculated missile strike on US bases as retaliation for the recent bombings. He has too big of an ego to let that go.
Lets just hope we're not dragged into it all.
When I was younger it seemed the view was no one would use them because to do so it would be MAD
The major train of thought was Nuclear weapons would never be used. Nukes were Nukes were Nukes and in no way could they be used. I actuially think that things cannot be dis invented and someone somewhere would chance it.
Just recently I read somewhere that a group of american advisers mentioned to Mr Trump that to guarantee the destruction of these Iran bunkers the bunker buster bombs may not do the job. Nuclear tipped bombs would.
Mr Trump dismissed this and dint want to use them.
We seem though to be approaching a time when strategists might just use something like this.
I don't mind admitting that It genuinely scares me.
Edited by anonymoususer on Monday 23 June 21:13
The world is probably safer now than at any other point in my life (born 1977) apart from the brief interregnum from 1991 - 2001.
The period between the fall of the Soviet Union & the attacks on the World Trade Centre were the exception not the rule, and even that included Kosovo and the Rwandan genocide & Somali Civil War (CW).
We have numerous small wars going on but this is no different to the 1970's and 1980's.
Soviet Union in Afghanistan, Iran - Iraq, Angola CW, Cambodia vs Vietnam, Ethiopia CW, Bangladesh CW, Afghanistan - Pakistan, Falkands war, South Africa Border War, Salvador CW, Peru CW, Azerbijan vs Armenia, and of course the threat of terrorism from the 'Troubles' (Northern Ireland CW).
The period between the fall of the Soviet Union & the attacks on the World Trade Centre were the exception not the rule, and even that included Kosovo and the Rwandan genocide & Somali Civil War (CW).
We have numerous small wars going on but this is no different to the 1970's and 1980's.
Soviet Union in Afghanistan, Iran - Iraq, Angola CW, Cambodia vs Vietnam, Ethiopia CW, Bangladesh CW, Afghanistan - Pakistan, Falkands war, South Africa Border War, Salvador CW, Peru CW, Azerbijan vs Armenia, and of course the threat of terrorism from the 'Troubles' (Northern Ireland CW).
There doesn't seem to be a very tight definition of what a "world war" actually is. Which I found interesting. Wiki says "international conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers." You could argue that we are already in that, but at a relatively low degree of involvement.
I can't see Russia, Iran and North Korea forming an "axis" capable of sustaining all out war against the west for very long, and I don't see China having any desire to. Although they might take advantage of the distraction to throw their weight around.
Lastly, it won't happen because of demographics. Early 20th century Europe was young and expanding. Europe in 2025 is late middle aged. Literally. The median age of the UK in 1914 was 25, today it's over 40. The same applies elsewhere to varying degrees, but the states with enough fighting age men are the ones with the least ability to organise or arm them.
More likely "world war 3" will be a series of protracted localised conflicts and terror campaigns by non-state groups. You could argue we are already in it.
I can't see Russia, Iran and North Korea forming an "axis" capable of sustaining all out war against the west for very long, and I don't see China having any desire to. Although they might take advantage of the distraction to throw their weight around.
Lastly, it won't happen because of demographics. Early 20th century Europe was young and expanding. Europe in 2025 is late middle aged. Literally. The median age of the UK in 1914 was 25, today it's over 40. The same applies elsewhere to varying degrees, but the states with enough fighting age men are the ones with the least ability to organise or arm them.
More likely "world war 3" will be a series of protracted localised conflicts and terror campaigns by non-state groups. You could argue we are already in it.
hidetheelephants said:
We're closer to WW3 than at any time since 1990
I don't think we are. Though at times it may look this way.If we take the notion that wars are fought for the imposition of ideology; be that political, religious or economic (though almost always these are used to mask the true purpose of war, that being the pursuit of power and wealth) we can divide the world into three core orders that are traditionally opposed to one another; the Capitalist West, Communism and Islam.
Communism is very different to that which was fought in the past. China has capitalised itself into a corner to a level that it would be counter to its own best interests to start a fight with its customers. Similar with Russia.
Islamic nations are themselves divided, largely unorganised, lacking any cohesiveness to levels that would make an effective fighting force. Those that are are in a similar position to China in that embarking on any international conflict would be counter to their own interests.
And in terms of sheer brute force, the Capitalist West holds the balance of power by orders of magnitude.
You then have the technical side of warfare which, from what I can see, is approaching the point that any launched missile can be shot from the sky before they reach their target.
That is all of course a very simplistic overview and of course, I may be entirely wrong but I do feel that what we are seeing around the world today is pretty much the limit of what modern day conflict looks like; terrorism, cyber attacks, regional conflicts and the odd slapping of rogue nations that look they're getting out of hand.
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