Will there ever be another world war?

[Dauphin]

If the USA collapses there would be no real powerhouse left willing to play "world conscience" around the world anymore, unless the EU or UN was reformed. So a massive decline in the world economy caused by some natural disaster or otherwise, would lead to dormant conflicts bursting out in the open across the world. Essentially a world war but not between states.

Yeah, well, we haven't seen many genocides in the past decade.

If various countries or groups want to go at it the US tends not to be even a minor concern, unless the country is a big player.

[lord of the mark]

World War to m means a general war involving all the great powers in the system.

Are you sure you mean ALL? by that def WW1 was a world war only from spring 1917, when the US entered, to late 1917, when Russia exited. And WW2 didnt become a world war till Dec 1941, when the US and Japan entered. Or is this a quibble about the US bing "in the system"

Id be more inclined to say that a war that involves most of the great powers is a world war. In fact im not sure id exclude a case where 2 great powers were at war, if it had sufficient implications for the global system (im thinking June 1940 to June 1941, when it was essentially the Brit Commonwealth against Germany and Italy, as far as direct involvement)

So no, I don;t see a world war being likely. Its not impossible, but highly improbable.

More or less, I agree. At least for the foreseeable future. I dont pretend to see past 2100.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
And WW2 didnt become a world war till Dec 1941, when the US and Japan entered.

Can I quibble and say that Japan entered long before December 1941.

[Arrian]

If History is any guide, yes. I think I might get lucky and not see one in my lifetime... but even that seems like an overly bold prediction.

-Arrian

[Dr Strangelove]

Regarding WW1 don't forget that Japan and the other powers eagerly gobbled up Germany's holdings in East Asia. It wasn't much of a fight, but it still counts. The fighting in Africa took a little longer. Finally it should be remembered that German commerce raiders even made it to the Pacific.

What would happen if the Islamic militants staged a successful coup in Saudi Arabia? Would the western powers intervene to reinstate the House of Saud? Would this trigger guerilla warfare around the world? If every city with a significant muslim population became a little Baghdad would that count as a world war?

[Patroklos]

No,

Though eventually the West will have to give up its ridiculous "clean war" idea when its position as the worlds leading culture is finally challenged either by taxing outside elements on the system or a direct rise of someone else like China. Such transfers of power are rarely pretty.

The only reason we have not seen a WW scale conflict so far is the West is so powerful they can aford to be miltarily decadent and simply fight how they want too in less than life or death situations instead of irradicating enemies that seriously pose a usurping threat.

[Footie Mad]

Originally posted by Dauphin

Yeah, well, we haven't seen many genocides in the past decade.

If various countries or groups want to go at it the US tends not to be even a minor concern, unless the country is a big player.

Yes and that is the thing, if anything major happens that will affect the world stage in an unfavourable direction for USA they are there to prevent it. That means they also want to protect economic interests in the world, as to provide stability for the capitalism that the power rests on. They will want to maintain relative order in the world.

Consider this scenario, a civil war is dangerously close to erupting in say China, because of political tension. Of course America would want to fend it off before it got started for its own good, and they are probably the only power that is both strong and unified enough to do it.

[Dis]

Originally posted by lord of the mark

World War to m means a general war involving all the great powers in the system.

Are you sure you mean ALL? by that def WW1 was a world war only from spring 1917, when the US entered, to late 1917, when Russia exited. And WW2 didnt become a world war till Dec 1941, when the US and Japan entered. Or is this a quibble about the US bing "in the system"

Id be more inclined to say that a war that involves most of the great powers is a world war. In fact im not sure id exclude a case where 2 great powers were at war, if it had sufficient implications for the global system (im thinking June 1940 to June 1941, when it was essentially the Brit Commonwealth against Germany and Italy, as far as direct involvement)

So no, I don;t see a world war being likely. Its not impossible, but highly improbable.

More or less, I agree. At least for the foreseeable future. I dont pretend to see past 2100.

World war is a war involving fighting on more than 1 continent. Hence why the French and Indian (7 years war) is considered the first world war.

[Darius871]

Originally posted by Dauphin
Can I quibble and say that Japan entered long before December 1941.

Eh? Japan was still at peace with all the Western powers prior to Pearl Harbor. Are you saying the Sino-Japanese War was part of WWII before Japan entered WWII?

[Vesayen]

If so, the only one and our last war.

The next major war("world war") will without a doubt have nuclear exchanges.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by Darius871


Eh? Japan was still at peace with all the Western powers prior to Pearl Harbor. Are you saying the Sino-Japanese War was part of WWII before Japan entered WWII?

Didn't Japan occupy French Indochina? IIRC they did so without asking 'please", but didn't bother with a declaration of war either.

You know, we've heard about how they bungled the start of the war with the US by not getting their declaration of war to the US before their planes reached the skies of Hawaii, but did they declare war on the British empire before their ships began bombarding Malaya at almost the same hour?

[Dis]

declaration wouldn't have done them much good. They were doomed from the start. Don't **** with the U.S.

[GePap]

Originally posted by lord of the mark

Are you sure you mean ALL? by that def WW1 was a world war only from spring 1917, when the US entered, to late 1917, when Russia exited. And WW2 didnt become a world war till Dec 1941, when the US and Japan entered. Or is this a quibble about the US bing "in the system"

Id be more inclined to say that a war that involves most of the great powers is a world war. In fact im not sure id exclude a case where 2 great powers were at war, if it had sufficient implications for the global system (im thinking June 1940 to June 1941, when it was essentially the Brit Commonwealth against Germany and Italy, as far as direct involvement)

World War is a relatively new title. No one called the 7 years war a world war, and yet, for all intent and purposes it was. There have been more than just two world wars, the issue being that we have deemed that title to only two.

As for timing, in both wars mentioned no great power stayed out. That not all were involved for the entire length to me seems immaterial. More importantly, large sections of the world were at war. For example, while in September 1940 Japan was not at war with the UK, Japan was at war with China, had been for many years, and the US, while not at war, had begun a huge rise in armaments production.