What is your worst case scenario when the war begins?

[Immortal Wombat]

The best way of all to get us angry is to use huge signatures that are too long to ignore, and too boring to read.

[Solly]

Ah, right.

[Immortal Wombat]

Enough people cared enough to go on the march...

[Solly]

Yeah, and they hardly looked annoyed. It was just a day out for them, like going shopping for rebellious Fcuk clothes.

[Chemical Ollie]

Best case:

A Republican Guard general makes a military coupe and siezes temporary power. He immediately invites UN to organize democratic elections, hands over Saddam to an international tribunal and shows all hidden secrets to the weapon inspectors. Iraqi oil enters the world market, the price of crude oil drops significantly and the new government is spending the oil income on education and healthcare. The US/UK troops can go home without a single shot fired, and Iraq becomes a prosperous democracy

Worst case:

US invades without UN support. Iraq's troops have learnt their lesson from the last war and fortify themselfes in the cities instead of the desert. There are fierce urban warfare with heavy casualties on both sides. The trigger-happy Americans use massive bombing and artillery to get rid of enemy soldiers hiding among civilians, causing extreme colateral damage. Saddam retaliates by sending Scuds full of poison gas and germs on Tel Aviv. Patriot missiles hit most of them, but with the ironic effect that the fallout area just increases. Israel goes nuclear on Bagdad, despite US warnings, and even before US has evacuated (which they wouldn't do). Saddam and most of Bagdads population are killed by the nukes, along with a large part of the US ground troops, an act the US will never forgive. All Arab states declare war on Israel and US turn their back on them. US pulls out of the area. Turkey invades notherns Iraq and find themselves in total war with the Kurds. Iran invades southern Iraq. Israel eventually loose the war and is whiped out without American help . The Europeans and Americans are furious at each other and stop all transatlantic trades. Millions of muslims volonteer for terrorist service. US expels all Arabs and refuse them US entry to prevent more attacks. The world enters a cold war between EU and US with Arabs hating them both. China and India take advantage of the situation and become the new economic super-powers, which eventually helps them afford to become global rather than regional military super-powers too.

[St Leo]

Worst Case Scenario: War is over quickly and it goes to Bush's head. He starts transferring troops to SK in a very blunt and obvious manner. Nuclear holocaust.

[DuncanK]

Very interesting scenarios. I'm not going to make any predictions, but I think Gepap's is the most realistic worst case scenario and St. Leo's is that scariest scenario that is somewhat realistic. I don't know if they will attack NK, but I could see them attacking Iran and some other countries if they are very successfull in this war. That would be horrible. Fortunately, I don't think this war will be that cheap or that successfull.