Source
r/collapse•
stumo

On fears that Syria will lead to WW III.

Without fail, every time there's a major conflict in the media, the chatter starts here about the upcoming nuclear war. Russia invades Ukraine, we're all gonna die. Russia invades Georgia for a weekend, we're all gonna die. Israel says Iran will have nukes within a year for every year in the last decade, we're all gonna die. Pakistan and India are shooting artillery across their borders, we're all gonna die.

Take a Valium, people. Ask any sane older collapsnick around here about the cold war and you'll hear some stories that, were they to be in tomorrow's headlines, would have you whimpering under the bed.

How about Russia shooting down a US military jet on a training flight over Germany killing all three on board? Or North Korea capturing a US navy vessel, killing a crew member, and then imprisoning and torturing the other 82 for 11 months? Or about Russia shooting down a civilian airliner with a missile, killing all 269 on board including a serving US congressman? Or Russian soldiers manning ground-to-air missiles that shot down 48 US military aircraft, or US pilots dogfighting with Russian pilots flying Chinese planes? Or hell, the granddaddy of them all, Russian and US navies heading toward each other for several days for a direct military conflict?

All of these and more have occurred when the world was in a far greater state of tension, and none led to WWIII.

Not to say that that isn't always a risk, but freaking out over every headline without even the most basic analysis does no one any good.

Posted Apr 8, 2017, 12:43 AM UTC · edited

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16
stumoOP•

And this isn't direct conflict between big players either.

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SarahC•

Your examples really help put it in perspective.

1
dxfddbsffbfbxx•

Im 50. In my time these two countries have come incredibly close to war on multiple occasions. From the hero in the USSR who didnt press the button and assumed the Americans had already fired their load should be celebrated in the US. The US sank a USSR sub at one point which required some very careful unraveling.. but that just about did it.

Right now, some group of people in the US really appear to want a war with Russia. This situation is not trivial. The world is beyond exhausted with the insanity that is the US... and I suspect given a chance many would love to see the country obliterated... esp as they loose hope in ever getting some form of amicable arrangement with a country which does nothing but lie and create misery.

Sorry, I reject your statement. This is a very dangerous time

15
NotaRealDoctorShhTrust me, I'm a doctor•

Fuck, I was starting to relax.

Would you say the zeitgeist is of a more hositle nature than that of say 30 years ago? What in your opinion is the biggest difference between the tensions between then and now?

1
dxfddbsffbfbxx•

Thirty years ago, Regan used the threat of war to negotiate the removal of nuclear weapons. The strategy helped make the world a safer place.

How do you feel about whats going on right now? Actually bombing anyone can't possibly help any position where peace is being sought. We are running full out in the opposite direction.

1
NotaRealDoctorShhTrust me, I'm a doctor•

Honestlly, Regan sounds like a genuis, I don't know much about American politcs, but I from what I heard of Regan was he was cunning and effective while he was in office and an effective leader; is that true?

Honestly, I have no idea. I abhor the senseless loss of life and at the fact that due to most mainstream media being properganda it's becoming hard to from an opinion, on who's who and what's what. I'm half your age so I've got no other reference point to the world events before 9/11, so constant warfare in the middle east is what I'm use to.

1
ArowxEscaping to ...•

Can I just say that the people affected directly by these conflicts probably experienced a collapse of their local community, livelihoods and loss of family and friends.

And I think that collapse is a gradual and slow process with sudden sharp localised events be they conflict, extreme weather or economic.

The fallout of these 'micro' collapses are increased refugees numbers, regional tensions and stress that can lead to further conflict/collapse.

Even small fires can burn down a forest. As long as it's not your forest no worries eh!

11
SarahC•

Even small fires can burn down a forest. As long as it's not your forest no worries eh!

Is that said sarcastically?

Because people don't want a "World police"...

1
ArowxEscaping to ...•

What we want and need are often two separate things.

1
SamsarAHHHHH•

Fucking thank you. Nuclear conflict wont happen until shit gets really bad

9
Warphead•

Most countries with nuclear capabilities have too much to lose, but when you throw North Korea and terrorism into the equation, you got some variables.

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1
lucidcurmudgeon•

Hear, hear!

8
gweebie•

I lost a bit of respect for this sub after the hysterics when trump bombed the airfield. Don't make this place a sub for "the sky is falling".

11
EmmyfromtheD•

This is a distraction. but it seems people want it to mean something.

5
Vicaring•

I get what you're saying here. But at the same time, we just bombed an airfield that had Russian equipment and personnel stationed there.

What if Russians had lost their lives? Would Russia have responded? Surely those two ships in the Mediterranean were within range of Russian aircraft. Might they have decided to respond, in kind? Nothing big. Just the sinking of one of our ships that launched the missiles that killed their men. What might we have done in response to something like that?

Sure, none of that happened. But Medvedev stated that we came "within an inch" of actual conflict. Maybe he overstated. Maybe. Maybe not. Let's also keep in mind Putin's words to the press at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2016, regarding the emplacement of American missile defenses in eastern Europe: "How can you not understand that the world is being pulled in an irreversible direction?"

Now Rubio is accusing Russia of being complicit with Syria in the chemical weapons attack.

But my main rebuttal to your post is that the main difference between then and now is M.A.D. Everybody back then knew we'd all die if there were a war. People today don't know that. People today think that it couldn't, or wouldn't, ever happen. People today think that a limited exchange is not only possible, but likely. That's the difference. The mindset of the players is not what it was in the cold war.

I get the feeling it's a lot closer than your post claims, and I have to wonder how many steps are left on this escalator of escalations.

5
hagfish•

My understanding is it was a publicity stunt. It gave the press a fig leaf so that can start loving Trump.

3
Vicaring•

I personally figured it wasn't the press so much as it was Trump saying to China, whose premiere just happened to be in Florida that day meeting with Trump, that he was willing to bomb the fuck out of North Korea if necessary. Political mindgames and all that.

1
hagfish•

It's going to take more than a few fireworks to get China excited about accepting 25 million starving, uneducated, brainwashed North Koreans.

1
mark000•

The Great War, 1914-1918 aka "The War To End All Wars". But it wasn't. Of course there will be another World War, war is what humans do. Just a matter of when. Just gotta hope it stays regional and between proxy states, and doesn't affect our oil supply out of the Middle East.

4
DarkCeldori•

Nuclear conflict won't happen.

WWIII, would likely lead to multiple Manhattan like programs toward the development of AGI. Specialized hardware, software, etc.

Such would likely accelerate the development of this tech, increasing survival probability.

1
1111at1111•

One thing is different this time... debt.

1
vanceco•

one other thing is different this time-

der trumpenführer.

1
fabipe•

World War III already started https://contraspin.co.nz/understanding-world-war-iii/

1
ABoyandhisFrog•

Thank you! There are real threats to our existence that could very well wipe us out in the next generation or two - climate change, a new flu epidemic - but there is far too much fluff that gets posted here like how Syria or North Korea or China or Russia is going to cause WWII, or how Fukushima is going to make our ocean radioactive...

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1
vanceco•

but- none of those things happened while der trumpenführer was calling the shots.

0
endtimesranter Doomiful Loser•

As long as it extincted the entire human/cancer species then it would be a mercy. No one will ever suffer again. Now how could that be a bad thing?

-5
ReverseEngineer77r/globalcollapse•

Nihilist-Misanthrope r/collapse Memorial Kewpie Doll awarded for this post.

6
Leslardius"I will show you fear in a handful of dust."•

Cry out for mercy, and when someone points it out, get the person crucified (well, downvoted). De essentia hominum.

1
greenbottletime•

fuck off already, asshole

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