World War 2.5? World War 3? WWIII? Take your pick.
WW3 is on kids. Seriously. How many more fronts before it’s official? How many more countries need be involved? Some combatants in WW3 aren’t recognized sovereign nations, otherwise it would be obvious we’re in a World War.
If Iran or Syria engage Israel it’ll be official and undeniable it is a WW. If Pakistan and India get busy it’ll be official and undeniable. Some countries are in this war as silent partners. Make no mistake. These “terror” groups aren’t being funded by opium poppies alone. There are some countries in Asia that have some pretty major oil interests in that region. I’m looking at you Russia and China. Not to mention the obvious misallocation of “anti-terrorism” funds going to Pakistan. We’re actually funding our enemies due to governmental incompetence. Our tax dollars are likely going to terrorists. Or at the very least to a super-sketchy dude who doesn’t protect certain national heroes.
“World War 3” is a less obvious moniker for the current world conflict (somewhat erroneously called the “Iraq War” and the “War in Afghanistan”) because it is being fought via proxy. it is being fought with “Corporate Warriors”. It is being fought by “Terror Groups” who are nebulous in name and have unknown amounts of soldiers and whose known affiliations and interests are sometimes sketchy at best. It is being fought by mega-corporations that are far more powerful than any corporate entity was in the time of the last World War. These companies have interests in the region and have ties to the global economy that are far stronger than ties to any one nation. The entire notion of Nationalism is pretty damn dated when many corporate entities have far more money than the treasuries of most countries. Nationalism is alive in World Cup Soccer, but that’s about it.
WW3 is also a less obvious moniker for current global happenings because it has been driven into our head during the entire Cold War period that World War III will be nuclear in nature. We have the notion of global annihilation attached to the term. We envision mushroom clouds and nuclear winter. But it isn’t going to look like that. It DOESN’T look like that right now. It sure as hell isn’t going to look prettier any time soon and it may indeed start to resemble what our previous notion of WW3 was. Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.
Some people call this “World War 2.5”. Fair enough. But semantical-inches separate us from World War 3. Whatever we want to call it is surely fucked. That word is certainly applicable and wholly undeniable. It also makes examination of current United States presidential candidates all the more crucial and interesting as they both offer very different views. Sadly, the scope of the current global landscape is such that talking about it openly and honestly would scare the small children (and most of the electorate), so I think we’ll probably hear both candidates spew a “Foriegn Policy for Dummies” brand of rhetoric and sound-bite fodder.
But between the lines there will be substance. Look in the margins. Look behind the headlines and find the small print. Be informed -> form an opinion -> and be involved in the discussion. United States citizenship grants an amount of global control via proxy (votes, dollars, certain rights like Freedom of Speech) enjoyed by very few citizens of other nations and regions.
It’s time America. Learn it, know it, live it.
