To think that global warfare is going to happen any minute now?

It's generally agreed that the global security situation is now at a more dangerous place than it has been for decades. There is an alliance growing between countries who have little in common other than being both authoritarian and anti-West. There was a (naive and rather patronising) sense at the end of the last millennium that greater financial and trade ties with countries such as Russia and China would have an improving influence on those countries but what has actually happened is the influence flowed the other way and those ties have had a corrupting influence on our own financial, trade, legal and political sectors. The problem isn't that the West hasn't been promoting global peace, the problem is that the West has shown that it has very little appetite for war and, consequently, some very nasty leaders are getting away with murder.

No and no.

What do you expect Western countries to do?

Few months back a bunch of commentators in papers were acting like we would all be dragged into WW3. It was excessive.

I think there is a lot of behind the scenes diplomatic effort to calm things in the middle east, it’s in no-ones interest to have a full blown regional war.

Russia is probably killing a generation of young men for an old mans ego at a time when they are already in demographic decline. They have to keep putting up the conscription age, If Putin tried to use actual nuclear warheads I think someone on his own team would get to him let alone the americans (I’m actually more sure a Russian would be the one to finish him off rather than the americans at this point).

China likes to intimidate it’s neighbours but attacking Taiwan would be a mistake, they make something like 90% of the worlds microchips, they are more important than Ukraine to the americans.

It”s easy to feel the world is going to hell in a handcart but in terms chance of actual global warfare we probably won’t see it. Everything else is a bit shit though.

The thing is, the US used to interfere, all the time, and the unintended consequences are what we have today in the Middle East. Europe used to interfere, and it has led to tribalism and wars throughout Africa. How on earth can the West promote peace? What should we be doing? Interfering or leaving them to it?

I feel like it won't/isnt warfare like we would expect but a systematic destruction of our way of life and dependence upon other powers for everything we need. China for goods and Russia for energy.

USA has been asleep at the wheel since Obama left and Europe is dysfunctional!

Basically, the West is in decline and others are on the rise.

Stop watching the news. I remember being a kid and genuinely believing acid rain was going to wipe out Europe’s forests.

Well I’m pleased to say it’s been 7 hours and as of yet I’ve managed to make it to morning eat a muffin and no signs of global warfare .. on the downside does mean I have to go to work.

I’m dealing with nausea from new medication, can it wait a couple weeks?

“A world without out Russia, is no world at all”.
When Putin says shit like that, you can’t help but think, he might just press the button.
If he loses in Ukraine, anything is possible.

And that’s before we look at China taking Taiwan.

Not much we can do though. So I wouldn’t give it too much head space.

Can always jump in with Del & Rodney, in their bunker, on top of Nelson Mandela House.

The only thing I wonder about is that he is old, according to the media he is sick, some of his advisors are worse than him.
What's he got to lose by throwing some nukes around.
He will die soon enough if he really is ill. The next one might be terrible.

if there is a breakout of ww3 with nuclear weapons then I hope they drop the nuke right on the heads of myself and those I love. I don’t want to live to see the after effects.

At the end of the day these male ego loaded pricks want something to rule. If there is a huge war there will be nothing left to rule when they come out of their bunker. So what would be the point.

They don't any more. That ship has well and truly sailed. They want the Yanks. Just have to hope the Manbaby doesn't get in.

OP you remind me of Father Dougal when he says "Ted, those women were in the nip!" Have you only just realised that people are killing each other? Because it's been happening for a long time.

No it isn't

As well as a thread on Mumsnet!

There’s always a brink of World War III event going on in the world.

Oh and China absolutely is a threat!

On the contrary- when things are going badly in your rich country, making someone else the enemy distracts quite nicely from your fuck ups. You also make a FORTUNE in selling arms. The trouble is if they are the ones being attacked or if nuclear weapons are involved as you say.

I don’t think we are at that point but I don’t actually think it takes too much- one rogue leader or one small event can be enough.

Russia has proven that despite its massive military, it cannot do combined arms warfare. It can’t coordinate its infantry, armour and artillery but most importantly, it cannot achieve air superiority over the battle space. It can achieve short term local air superiority but only short term .

Nato and particularly America have proved that they are able to do this at Will against enemies even if they are equipped with reasonable air defence missiles. Once you control the airspace, you control the battlefield.

NATO’s armies are much smaller but they are much better trained and they can do combined arms operations. NATO puts faith in its battlefield commanders and allows them to take the initiative. Russian forces are massively inflexible, if the plan doesn’t work, they bog down and wait for orders from on high, even if the solution is obvious.

I wouldn’t say they are no threat to NATO but they aren’t the threat we once thought they were. Their organisations are institutionally corrupt to the point where a large portion of their military is not effective because money for training and equipment has been siphoned off to build dachas for their generals.

The other military threat is China and I suspect that they aren’t much better than the Russians. They have the same doctrines, equipment and there is widespread corruption in their society. They have even less combat experience. They are also surrounded by sea that the Americans control. America has 16 aircraft carriers and China has 1.

That leaves nuclear weapons. Can’t worry about them, there is nothing we can do about them.

🤣🤣🤣🤣
Does that mean I've got to bloody put my socks back on? My poor feet.

I seriously doubt it. Because it would very much negatively effect the people with the money abd power who would be the ones to start it.
Warfare isn't sending a load of working class people on a battlefield to die anymore.. well at least for most western countries. It's bombs and drones etc. No one would be safe from it. Even if these people have bunkers, the level of devastation caused if people were setting off nukes would render their life pretty shit. So why would any of these world leaders want to kick off a world war? Maybe some terrorist groups would but they don't actually have the power to.
No I just don't think it will happen. Anyone with the power to kick off a world war would stand to lose too much from doing so.. it simply would not be worth it.

There were plenty of wars pre WW2.
Folk are always fighting about something. Modern (last hundred or so years) technology has allowed a different form of war to develop but weapons have always existed in some form.