To wonder if anyone has or is considering moving to a country that's less likely to be involved if Putin attacks a NATO country. (title edited by MNHQ at request of OP)

[Carla786]

I hope that if WW3 happened, I'd be brave enough to stay and fight. I love Britain & I'd hate to leave it or see it invaded by Putin.

However, at the same time I'm wondering about the recent rush of articles suggesting conflict with Russia is inevitable by around 2030 and that civilians need to prepare to be conscripted to fight if NATO is attacked. I'd always thought Britain being land-invaded was fairly unlikely, but being called up to fight in a NATO war widens the options of what might happen.

Countries that are less likely to be involved include Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland. I don't particularly want to move to any of these. If call-ups are likely to be imminent in about 4 years, I don't know..

The country I've always thought I'd move to if I did move is Poland (where I have family ties)- but of course that's far more likely to be involved in a potential war!

It's 2026 but I hope your sanity prevailed for last year !

Gosh. Clearly I am still in a daze. 😁
Began the year with some family difficulty, so struggling a bit.
Going out for a long walk now and definitely not checking to see if Trump has invaded Greenland.

If I was going to be worried about some cataclysmic event in the future it wouldn't be WW3, it would be China flicking the switch that would cut off our money, our fuel, our Internet and all our telecommunications. It would make Covid look like the first rehearsal and would swiftly bring us to our knees. Or, I could carry on as I am and just get on with day-to-day stuff. I would never run away so the title thread is not for me and, if I can't change the outcome, why give worry and anxiety any headspace? It's raining here and I'm watching a cute squirrel half way up an evergreen, sheltering under a canopy of leaves. Cute.

In Switzerland, there has long been compulsory national service for men aged 18 to 30 (recently extended to 40). Most serve in the army, while others do civil protection or civilian service. It's a deterrent and, if a whole WW3 breaks out then each country will have to be prepared.

Those who cannot serve for health reasons (including mental health) or who choose not to must pay a military exemption tax of 3% for several years.
Typical distribution:

• Regular military service: 40–60%
• Civilian service: 20–30%
• Unfit / do not serve: 20–30%

Women may serve as well, but it is voluntary and only a small percentage do so.
In 2024 more than 30,000 young people completed the initial 18-week training, with some serving nine months or a year. Recruits can be called up quickly and normally return each year for a further two to three weeks of training.

It is very much part of the culture and many young men take pride in it. The army offers a range of training and opportunities to learn new skills. My sons (who are both English and Swiss) will serve and are looking forward to it. I can’t imagine anything similar taking hold in England.

New Zealand is a notoriously difficult country to emigrate to... and that's from an Australian. So saying I actually technically have the right to live and work there and would certainly prefer it to the UK (from which I returned home with my family recently).

I don't believe they have even once had illegal "boat people" arrive by sea btw so you'd best be looking at what legal means of immigration might be available to you.

Marrying a Kiwi is still a viable route, though this route has largely closed or been restricted in many other countries now, including the UK, so whether that will remain the case in the future is anyone's guess.

Ireland you can, of course

The thing about war is goes where ever it wants.

Remember there are thousands of people in the world trying to escape actual war.

I dont think you have time

I’m interested in the European countries you listed as potentially safe in the event of WW3. Ireland, for example. Given the level of American influence there, it’s hard to imagine them refusing U.S. pressure? Especially under someone like Trump. Add to that Ireland’s close proximity to the UK and the fact that Northern Ireland is part of the UK, it’s unclear what real protection Ireland would offer if it escalates.

Austria is another questionable one. I mean, historically, it was annexed first it by Germany before World War II. While neutral perhaps now, in reality it could make Austria an easy target to be used or occupied again. The same concern applies to much of Europe.

Realistically, New Zealand seems like the safest option. Geographically isolated, far removed from NATO.

Yes, having had family members severely suffer in war and lose everything, it has crossed my mind whether where we are geographically is safe. Although Britain is one of the countries with most political and military deterrents to not be bombed down like Gaza or part of Ukraine, as long as it stays allied to the US, unfortunately.

I'd have thought Denmark, where I'm from, would usually be fairly safe, but apparently it'll be the focal point. The times we live in, eh.

Would be Switzerland, South America or NZ for me.

War potential isn't the only factor though, been thinking of emigrating for a while. But it does add to it.

No.
However, I will move back to where I was born
(a lucrative European capital city), when my remaining (abusive) elderly parent disappears.
Economic reasons, quality of life there is far better than Britain now.
I don't really think the WW3 will happen.

I see what you mean yeah. However i wouldn’t fight for this country, our government is a joke. They can send their own kids to fight.

I made some lard and seed stuffed pine cones with my class and they were demolished within a week! No idea which species ate them but they sure were popular!
Anyway, no I don’t fear conscription as any war is unlikely to be man to man. I have no control therefore I am happy noticing the daffodil shoots and the buds. It was still brightish at 4.45pm yesterday.

We are already at war with Russia but they are never going to be in a position to invade the UK. They'd have to get all the way across Europe first.

War War 3 has probably already started but if it kicked off properly with nukes and such, it wouldn't really matter where you were there would be no escape from it.

Have you heard of missiles? They can get across Europe.

Home Bargains do a reasonably priced range of bird food. Their mealworms are the cheapest I can find anywhere and everything seems to like them.

.

This lovely little fella was scratching around looking for worms while I ate my breakfast this morning.

Countries safe from Putin are China and North Korea and I don’t fancy them much.

But not so far removed from ANZUS, the Pacific equivalent of NATO.

New Zealand went cold on the alliance in the mid 1980s but has recently endorsed AUKUS’s contribution to regional security and stability.

Thousands??? You mean MILLIONS globally

New zealand is far removed from ANZUS. 40 years removed from it in fact.

@Hoardasurass

I'm a coward. Thing is, I don't think that's a bad thing. If someone is too afraid to do something, that's just the way they are. I don't believe it makes them a bad person.

I think even many cowards have their points at which they might fight. If my home and possessions were at threat, I'd be much more likely to fight. (I watch Home Alone every Christmas and while I don't know if I'd be bold enough to do it, I certainly love the idea of bashing people about who are violating my home, which I consider my sacred space.)

In the unlikely event of Britain being invaded, perhaps I would then be willing to fight in some capacity.

But I honestly can't say that that's a given. I might well be too scared to fight even in those circumstances.

So, I'm a coward, but I'm not ashamed of that, because I don't believe that it's anything to BE ashamed of. Being a coward can often help someone survive for longer, or survive completely. "Look out for number one" is good advice, I feel.

There's a great disco song from the 1970s called 'Young Hearts Run Free'. One of the lines goes "Self-preservation is what's really going on today." That's practically my motto.

Pretty sure thats an awful.way to live. WW3 be pretty quick.

OP to answer your question, no, I haven't considered moving due to geopolitics.

And whilst I'm not saying a NATO country will be invaded by Putin, I do think the world is more unsteady than it has been for a while geopolitically due to Putins actions, a chaotic Trump, a China whose is facing population collapse soon.

I also think these leaders have a "legacy building" mindset that most others don't have, at least not in the same expansionist way, and they are aging, and NATO has been revealed to be weak.

But none of us know what the future holds. I'm happy that I live in an area that is largely free from natural disasters, extremes of temperatures and has plenty of water and an ability to grow much of its own food if necessary (especially if we didn't eat tropical fruits and veg etc).

I think the government could do a better job managing the resources we have, for example, updating the electricity grid so that the energy generated by wind turbines can be used with minimal waste, address whatever is going on with the water companies so that our waterways are clean.

But maybe not for much longer.

www.aspistrategist.org.au/putting-the-nz-back-into-anzus-why-a-fleeting-reference-means-a-lot/