To be worried about war here?

[beitasmalltown]

I don't listen to conspiracy theories but LBC news have reported this

NATO warn it's members to prepare their armies because they expect 'all out war' (the phrases used) with RUSSIA within the next 20 years

AIBU to be worried? Seems very extreme

Have previously felt very safe in my troubled yet generally very safe country with strong allies

If they introduced conscription in 10 years my children would be in their 20s so prime candidates. Why should they sacrifice their lives for the awful decisions made by our governments and bullying men in power across the world? Yes, hundreds of thousands of men across the world have done exactly this and still do but we're talking a different generation in the UK. I can't see it happening without mass protest and i think people simply wouldn't turn up as requested.

I for one would be hiding my kids in the attic. I'd fight tooth and nail so they didn't have to fight someone else's war.

Also, think back on Covid with different eyes.

Was it a test to see how the general public could cope with being locked down, restricted, no travel, economy in tatters.

Because I have found even with the lockdown etc being finished, WFH has stayed which means less people in cities, cost of living has meant people cant afford holidays as much, people prefer to stay in their homes instead of heading out into the town etc. Waiting lists huge, access to healthcare affected A LOT which it would be even more so in war.

I am not denying Covid existed. It did. And it was awful and killed so many.

I do however, have lots of mistrust and questions about the lockdown, how it was handled, how long it lasted etc.

I remember an "agenda" being released which was part of government files and not meant for public eye (I cant remember the actual name) but it was a "hypothetical" model but a lot in it was interesting and questionable about the motives of those in charge.

... the UK is a powder keg.
... the UK has left the EU
.... the UK is more and more supportive of the US on the international stage.

So yes, something will have to give eventually. Just not sure if it is politically, civil unrest or war.

Some of the posters on this thread don’t seem to have watched the news since Feb 2022. This isn’t a recent thing, this type of global conflict should have returned to the public consciousness in Feb 2022, if not before. The amount of posts I see on Mumsnet where people say things like “I don’t watch the news, nothing to do with me”…..well, here we are. Keep an eye on things, and show a healthy interest, but don’t obsess about it. Your children are no more important than anyone else’s. What about the Ukrainian children that have been tortured and slaughtered over the last 24 months? What about the children in Gaza? Or those Israeli children shot or held hostage? Make me sick, the people that suddenly care now because it MIGHT be their kids in 20 years time.

We have put a lot of money into moving 16 family members out of Ukraine and into the UK and Latvia in the last 2 years. Two uncles and three cousins dead. I know over over twenty people killed in combat or from their apartments being destroyed. It’s always ‘far-flung’ when it’s not your country and doesn’t seem ‘real’. I have put off getting my son his non UK citizenship due to the threat of conscription and war within the next 10-20 years.

I don’t think it will end with Putin dying, there is a whole generation who still believe that USSR was great and that countries that are now free of its grasp should belong to them. Hell I’ve even got one in my own family, someone married an older Russian. I also have Russian friends but this type of mindset is very generational and more countryside led where they are less westernised. We are now thinking about our priorities moving family members out of Latvia when the time comes. Money is tight right now and we have no savings left. I can imagine Britain would only be affected by nuclear war if it came to it. Even with NATO, so many countries hold off when it comes to war that it wouldn’t actually take long for Russia to recapture the Baltic states and Moldova due to the population size. Especially when you’ve got mental Lukashenko in between Lithuania and Ukraine.

Who knows what 20 years will bring on the world stage. Biden/Trump/ Putin/ Xi Jinping would all be well into their 90’s so unlikely they would all still be active!

It’ll be worse if US starts to withdraw from international stage via NATO

Proximity to escalation is more the risk so not particularly the U.K.

Noone can say if/when there will be war. There has always been war throughout history and likely always will be.

No war here! We don't have anything to fight over.

To be fair that's a big assumption to make, that people haven't been following the news since 2022. The OP has posted in response to comments made on the 18th Jan by Admiral Bauer. Inevitably, his comments have intensified anxieties for people but it doesn't mean they weren't already there

No war here! We don't have anything to fight over.

Really? What about all the pro Hamas rallies taking place? One possibility is increasing civil unrest here, either created by Putin's allies, or used by Putin to his advantage.

There seems to be a lot of focus on Russia in this thread. And a bit on North Korea.

Personally, I have more concerns about China and Iran. And about various possible alliances between nations.

The thought of a Trump return to the Whitehouse is very concerning indeed. The threat of war is never absent, but it certainly feels more imminent right now.

The thing is, unless there is anything that I can actually do to help reduce the risk, I see no point in dwelling on it. Life will be shit if war happens, but I'm not going to make my life shit right now by worrying about it. What will be will be. In the meantime, I'm for living my life as positively as I possibly can.

China don't seem interested in global power via force. They seem to care most about financial power and being the leaders of this or that, showing it all off to us all

Different vibe of 'power' to Russia

Yes, at the moment, but I'm not sure if it will stay that way. I guess we'll see.

I don't think Russia is strong enough to risk anything on a really large scale on their own.

That’s at best disingenuous and at worst outright hateful to suggest that pro Palestinian marches in support of innocent civilians who are getting murdered by the thousands are ‘pro Hamas’ marches. Shameful.

You do realize that NATO is basically feathering its own nest. It’s a massively bloated organization funded by US tax dollars with many ex armed personnel and diplomats earning a hefty wedge. They would warn against war, wouldn’t they. Otherwise they go out of business.

Also, they are probably shitting their pants because Trump will be back in office later this year. And he had a bee in his bonnet about France and Germany leeching off the American taxpayer for defend themselves.

I dont worry about things until they actually happen. Otherwise I'd have spent the last 60 years in a state with all the rumours and political disasters.
If there is a nuclear war then that will be the end of it anyway.
Make the most of life each day that you have it.

@MagicFox thats exactly why I said SOME people haven’t been watching the news, rather than applying it to everyone.

I'd recommend listening to the press conference. It is all frightening but try to remember it's all about deterrence and the hope that the worst can be avoided through readiness

Nobody knows, but worrying never changed anything. It is outside our control, therefore absolutely zero point in worrying.

Hopefully everyone would refuse

Pretty much

I live in a country where conscription has been around in some form or another for a long time but they have recently changed the rules again and are openly and actively preparing for war in the near future. It terrifies me and is keeping me awake at night and I'm having to have multiple conversations with my teens where I tread a fine line between being honest and trying to reassure them. The situation in the Middle East isn't helping as we have all seen what Western governments will now shrug their shoulders at. I fear that we'll be in a global war before we realise what's happening. The only hope I'm clinging to is that MAD will deter Putin, Trump, etc from all out war but they all seem unhinged enough to not care.

This is just some general making sure he keeps his job.

Good luck introducing conscription in the UK😂

But you would be happy enough for other Mums children to fight to keep your babies safe?