To think we’re in the foothills of World War 3?

[Letthecarhuntbegin]

The West is upping the ante supporting the Ukraine, but I can’t imagine Russia backing down. Surely this will just keep escalating over the coming months and years. The beginning of World War 3?

No.

Oh don’t be so ridiculous and overdramatic.

Could you not have joined one of the many other over-wrought threads on this subject?

Oooh, yikes sorry! Not a welcome question I see. I couldn’t see another thread on this topic. And sorry if I upset some of you -!

Sending machines is not the same as sending troops. The only way this will escalate is if Russia deliberately fire a missile into a NATO country. And deliberate intent would need to be proven. It's a horribly precarious situation, but just look at the very measured response and careful words from Biden etc when that missile landed over the border a few months ago. Nobody wants World War 3 and Putin will eventually be overthrown from within.

I think we have been in the foothills of WWWw for some time now. We see only the iceberg of what is happening on the news. I'm quietly terrified but many seem to have their heads in the sand about this as you have probably gathered by the curt responses to your question.

No, not getting that vibe at the moment, I suppose it could change, but why ?

The West has supplied lots and lots of very useful stuff to Ukraine, most of which barely gets a mention or quickly gets forgotton about by the general public.

Why would Russia suddenly up the ante because Ukraine is given some tanks ? Don't they have lots of their own ?

Exactly. The west has been arming Ukraine since the invasion began. No reason why tanks would be a watershed when all the other military support wasn't. All Russia could practically do if they wanted to up the ante is nuke something anyway, and that's evidently not happening.

I think a better analogy would be a second cold War. The threat of mutually assured destruction still stands and as much as I think putting is a lunatic I don't think he is that bat shit.

Also it's not like the Russians haven't given shitloads of tanks to Ukraine either, albeit in a slightly more roundabout fashion...

in the foothills of world war 3?

Soon to be climbing the mountains of conflict like a Nazi Julie Andrews

People have been saying this for the last year - and still nothing!

yes, I think we are definitely in the foothills. Russia is very unlikely to go 'ok Ukraine, you win' and Ukraine is unlikely to go 'just come on in Russia'. Which leaves a negotiated peace. If that works then we will come down from the foothills but if not this could well escalate.

Different countries have been quarreling/fighting with each other for centuries. So far we've only had two world wars and I doubt that we are on the cusp of a third one.

How could this escalate? What do think might happen? The only option is a nuclear missile. Who do think is going to go down that road?

Standing up to Putin makes WW3 less likely. You need to stop catastrophising.

The only way WW3 occurs if if a major power backs Russia. Given China's stance right now, and the fact that they gain the most from Russia's current predicament, I can't see that happening anytime soon.

That leaves Iran who won't dare do anything major due to Saudi/Israel and then that's about it really.

So no, I don't see WW3, but a cold war between China and the West as Russia becomes essentially a Chinese vassal which it would have anyway but the war has exacerbated their structural issues.

Frankly Russia is bloody lucky the Chinese are currently preoccupied with the zero covid chickens coming home to roost.

I agree. When they look back at the previous world wars it’s not like there is 1st jan - no war, 2nd jan - WAR.

There is a build up, chain of events, certain things set in motion over a period of time, sometimes tensions lasting several years, ancient land quarrels, petty grievances, very slow trickle of changing politics, “coincidental” events like fires in the reichstag / pandemics, economic events and so on.

I think people are naive not to see patterns.

I'm very concerned too OP. I do think Putin may well be overthrown from within his own country but not by anyone more rational or willing to work with the West. I think we could well be ratcheting this up by continuing to provide more and more weapons.

Chunks of the rest of the world are either pro-Russia or don't care either way- the most inflammatory places are pro-Russia.

However, the alternative is unthinkable- that we allow him to invade Ukraine.

This is exactly it.

world war 2 was partially motivated by the economic restraints placed on Germany nNo the outcome of WW1.

It takes more than a year.

Also untrue. There are lots of ways war can go. We are currently being starved out by the lack of gas by way of economic sanction.

Look at the Cyprus conflict, the Russian revolution, the Cold War. There are several ways to skin a cat.

Look at the Cyprus conflict, the Russian revolution, the Cold War. There are several ways to skin a cat.

I think China would prefer number three out of those options, or their version of it which involves them still trading with the rest of the world, but Russia being even weaker than it is now. I don't think a Russian revolution II on their doorstep would go down well !

YANBU.

🙄