How WWIII starts.

[ColtSeavers]

The United States of America continues to implode due to the irony of the perversion of freedom in the name and safety of freedom.

China continues to flex it's new military arms, having already successfully flexed both it's economic (cheap labor production garnering insanely favorable trade, either officially or unofficially) and technological (international espionage through hacking) ones. They continue to instigate in the South China seas with their man made islands and new claims of territory and ensuing territorial disputes. Eventually, they tick off someone for real, either through their own direct military action or another country getting fed up enough to call them out on it officially and 'force' china to act militarily.

If this happens before the Republicans (or political right) wins what is almost certainly their last Presidential election, the current admnistration will perform tried and true actions of sending diplomats to meet with other diplomats to exchange vigorous handy-j's for pillow talk promises.

If this happens after the Republicans (or political right) win the next Presidential election, the USA immediately gets involved.

Russia backs China officially or unofficially, sooner or later. Edward 'Herpes' Snowden's handywork flares up once more to embarrass the US. Russia's Pacific fleet will be mobilized for 'joint training missions' with China. Long range bombers will perform US Airspace and Russian subs will perform US soverign waters penetration excercises at an increased rate. If someone in Europe starts to talk about it all, the valves of pipes leading to Europe will quietly start to close in the background. When people stop talking about it, the valves open, though not exactly as open as they were before.

Meanwhile, while the problems in the Pacific escalate, the Middle Eastern Mambo continues on.

And then it happens.

Iran finally achieves nuclear bomb capability and the missile capability necessary to use it.

Due to the lack of any affectual change despite calling for it for years, Israel decides it's now or never and launches a full scale blitzkrieg to crush Iran's nuclear capability before it can now actually be immediately used.

Or they decide to accept the role of martyr, they await the inevitable, the iron dome just happens to fail at intercepting a threat that one time.

The blast(s) violently rip the needle across and off the mambo record.

Even those that have worked towards or desired this with evey fiber of their being give way to pause.

And then it begins.

[Doc Safari]

I have been waiting for some sort of flashpoint for some time.

It's difficult to say if it will happen with Russia, China, ISIS, or someone else.

Then it hit me: it's all going to go at once.

I have been planning for everything from high gas prices to rationing, ammo shortages, and the like.

I just don't see the world extricating itself from what is about to be a perfect storm of everybody fighting everybody.

We are months away from our lives being changed, maybe for the remainder of our lifetimes, and most people carry on as if Bruce Jenner is the most important story in the news.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Didn't yemen rebels launch a scud at Saudi arabia a couple of days ago? That is a new level that I dont think got enough press.

Russia will destabilize easten Europe to the point where the populations will beg the Russians back, except for Poland. They are done with that crap.

The only thing more predictable than lame US allies losing and U.S. abandoning them is Eurowennies appeasing strong men to avoid a fight.

[Honu]

I wonder if what we had in WWII in Europe was going on today ?

sadly the belief in freedom wont be coming from the USA anymore so I think this time it just might die and the nazis of today whoever that might be will win

so sadly WWIII the bad guys might win because of our pussification of our country and its leaders

hope it turns around and we get someone with some backbone and smarts and maybe pull back our troops and support our country and if anyone touches us destroy them and then take whatever we can to repay :)

no more war and then we keep paying to rebuild other countries !

but I sadly live in a fantasy land thinking this will ever happen !

[Doc Safari]

Somebody...Israel maybe?...could have set off a tactical nuke in Yemen. I saw the video and the blast definitely ends in a mushroom cloud. I'm not SME on battlefield ordnance, but the explosion looks tantalizingly atomic.

Meanwhile, we are moving missiles into Eastern Europe to...what...SCARE the Russians?

They were willing to sacrifice millions of people to lure Hitler into overextending himself in World War II.

The Russians wrote the book on sacrificing to win a war.

Meanwhile, Barry and the whole rotten crew on Capital Hill are more worried about transgender rights in the military and in getting ANY deal with Iran.

Oh, and by the way, Iran still plans to annihilate Israel at the first opportunity. IDF ain't gonna let that happen no matter what Barry offers them to play nice.

You also don't hear about Turkey starting to flex its influence and the fact that it's becoming more and more Islamic.

How long before it becomes NATO's enemy instead of its friend, and joins the Islamic Jihad in a fight against the west?

Let's not even mention the fact that we don't have the balls to stand up to China because we literally owe them enough money that we will never repay it. Those people living in Taiwan had better start making nice in what they say about the mainland.

But I guess it's all good as long as Bruce Jenner is happy wearing a dress.

[ColtSeavers]

I agree that the scud attack, while luckily ineffectual, recieved a lot less understanding than it deserves.

Turkey continues to be Europe's worst nightmare. Spain, Italy and Greece may be economic nightmares, but Turkey (and Northern Africa) is(are) a fare scarier cultural one. Want to make a remark about Istanbul still not being called Constantinople should be a red flag, but it's beside the point at this point in history.

China will have an 'America's Going out of Business, Everything must go!' liquidation sale the likes of which even the mysterious Belgium buyer won't be able to absorb (at least without exposing themselves).

[Mr.Anderson]

You guys think there will be a breaking point?

Or, will it be like boiling frogs. Gradually turn up the heat, not suddenly, then we are cooked.

It's hard for me to imagine a total WROL or SHTF type scenario. It seems to me that TPTB will make all attempts to have TOTAL control (ie, the NRA thread topics) and people will have to make a choice.
I think, MOST people will do whatever they're told. I really don't see a FTS type scenario and 'Patriots' (3%'s, etc) start flipping out and turn the US into a war zone.

I think, each decision that every man makes he will attempt to determine if "the juice is worth the squeeze" so to say.
Is the sacrifice worth the choice... or is it still easier to go along with whatever is being shoved down our throats?

Regardless, my constituents are ready as can be. I would honestly say we are more ready than the majority of the US population.
Which makes our biggest problem to be how to protect it from everyone that wants it. Or us. In camps.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

I wonder if what we had in WWII in Europe was going on today ?

sadly the belief in freedom wont be coming from the USA anymore so I think this time it just might die and the nazis of today whoever that might be will win

so sadly WWIII the bad guys might win because of our pussification of our country and its leaders

hope it turns around and we get someone with some backbone and smarts and maybe pull back our troops and support our country and if anyone touches us destroy them and then take whatever we can to repay :)

no more war and then we keep paying to rebuild other countries !

but I sadly live in a fantasy land thinking this will ever happen !

I tell my Jewish friends that the attack on 'Wall Street' and the "1%" is basically code words for 'Jews'. They give me odd looks and I give them odd looks back. It seems every European city I visit, there is the historical Jewish quarter and you learn that they basically persecuted the Jews attacks about every 100-150 years. The Nazi's were just more organized and industrial at it. Why do people think that things have changed?

[MountainRaven]

I tell my Jewish friends that the attack on 'Wall Street' and the "1%" is basically code words for 'Jews'. They give me odd looks and I give them odd looks back. It seems every European city I visit, there is the historical Jewish quarter and you learn that they basically persecuted the Jews attacks about every 100-150 years. The Nazi's were just more organized and industrial at it. Why do people think that things have changed?

And 'thug' and 'gangster' are code for black people?

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

That being said, people do have a deep and abiding hatred for bankers. Many of these bankers were, of course, historically Jews, so much of the ire that Jews suffered in times past - thanks to usury laws grounded in religion (Christians could not lend money to Christians with interest and Jews could not lend money to Jews with interest - but Jews surely could lend money to Christians) - was not just on account of being outsiders, but being bankers as well.

[Honu]

yeah I cant figure out why the modern Jewish folks vote dem and are so left when the left hates them ?
and in Europe what is happening is scary again ! and they seem to ignore it or think some other way of saying its isolated etc..

I tell my Jewish friends that the attack on 'Wall Street' and the "1%" is basically code words for 'Jews'. They give me odd looks and I give them odd looks back. It seems every European city I visit, there is the historical Jewish quarter and you learn that they basically persecuted the Jews attacks about every 100-150 years. The Nazi's were just more organized and industrial at it. Why do people think that things have changed?

[Jellybean]

...

Iran finally achieves nuclear bomb capability and the missile capability necessary to use it.
...

What if they already have it?
What if they figured out long ago that it would be simply cheaper to work out a deal with a willing partner/nation to simply buy what they want. Perhaps they've done it years ago and have had a nuke for a long time.
At the same time they keep *just* enough of their nuclear program alive to play the boogeyman. Everyone focuses on that, and they get to run around gathering riches and concessions from people trying to essentially buy them out of the nuke game. It's a win all around for them...
This was actually not my idea- there was a pretty interesting article on this theory somewhere out there on a web news site. It seems to make a lot of sense if you think about it.

[MountainRaven]

What if they already have it?
What if they figured out long ago that it would be simply cheaper to work out a deal with a willing partner/nation to simply buy what they want. Perhaps they've done it years ago and have had a nuke for a long time.
At the same time they keep *just* enough of their nuclear program alive to play the boogeyman. Everyone focuses on that, and they get to run around gathering riches and concessions from people trying to essentially buy them out of the nuke game. It's a win all around for them...
This was actually not my idea- there was a pretty interesting article on this theory somewhere out there on a web news site. It seems to make a lot of sense if you think about it.

Apart from practically imploding their economy due to sanctions.

[Moose-Knuckle]

Well what is referred to as WWIII will be brought about by the world's oldest banking cabal. While they pose as Jews and have since the 18th century, they're really Khazars.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Well what is referred to as WWIII will be brought about by the world's oldest banking cabal. While they pose as Jews and have since the 18th century, they're really Khazars.

I knew it was Khazar Soze all the time....

I thought the Cold War was WWIII, the war on Terrorism was WWIV- so this would be WWV - or does that get even more confusing with the whole WWF and the world wildlife fund and what every red blooded American knows should refer to wrestling. Which isn't actually wresting, or is that actually difficult to talk about with the whole Hastert thing?

[ColtSeavers]

What if they already have it?
What if they figured out long ago that it would be simply cheaper to work out a deal with a willing partner/nation to simply buy what they want. Perhaps they've done it years ago and have had a nuke for a long time.
At the same time they keep *just* enough of their nuclear program alive to play the boogeyman. Everyone focuses on that, and they get to run around gathering riches and concessions from people trying to essentially buy them out of the nuke game. It's a win all around for them...
This was actually not my idea- there was a pretty interesting article on this theory somewhere out there on a web news site. It seems to make a lot of sense if you think about it.

I honestly don't believe Iran itself will be the ones to 'launch'. They are too enthralled with being both lead and follow in the mambo as well as playing three card monte (and flat out refusing to show the card when guessed correctly) with inpectors.

I believe that they will let it out into the wild with someone else to take the action and blame leaving them in the clear, or at least with deniability.

[cbx]

We are not going to see any peer to peer conflicts ladies and gentlemen.

Everyone talks shit and acts tough. The consequences are too great for all. It's the strength of our modern military and everyone else's coupled with nuclear arms. That's what insures the peace. Yeah, there will be skimishes, but your not going to see us or nato get into it with the Russians or Chinese.

MAD is solid. Look how long it's worked.

I agree with you guys that a lot of things is effed right now. But a shooting war between super powers, not a chance. No nation with nukes is going to go toe to toe. Proxy wars most definitely, but P2P, no chance.

If WW3 does get the punt kick off, it'll last about an hour. Then expect an austere life for the survivors. Look to how Katrina went to get an idea of what it'll look like. No one has balls enough to roll the dice on that one. I don't care are loco you are.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

We are not going to see any peer to peer conflicts ladies and gentlemen.

Everyone talks shit and acts tough. The consequences are too great for all. It's the strength of our modern military and everyone else's coupled with nuclear arms. That's what insures the peace. Yeah, there will be skimishes, but your not going to see us or nato get into it with the Russians or Chinese.

MAD is solid. Look how long it's worked.

I agree with you guys that a lot of things is effed right now. But a shooting war between super powers, not a chance. No nation with nukes is going to go toe to toe. Proxy wars most definitely, but P2P, no chance.

If WW3 does get the punt kick off, it'll last about an hour. Then expect an austere life for the survivors. Look to how Katrina went to get an idea of what it'll look like. No one has balls enough to roll the dice on that one. I don't care are loco you are.

Arch-duke whackings and their effects are hard to predict.

Could be as simple as a unseen asteroid with multiple impacts spooking the Indians, Pakastanis or NKs.

Iran isn't going to use the bomb anymore than the NKs will. That is all about regime change. The delta is the difference between being a Kim Jong Un and Khadaffi.

[Doc Safari]

Radical Islamists do not subscribe to the MAD doctrine. In their view the world must be thrown into chaos in order for the Mahdi to appear and restore order (under an Islamic caliphate, of course).

We are not dealing with rational individuals motivated by earthly gain, but with madmen who are bent on causing destruction so that their Islamic "messiah" appears.

That is the difference between this era and the Cold War.

Russia, China, Venezuela, et al, are willing to fight conventional wars to further their means, and are rational enough to subscribe to the MAD doctrine. Not so the Islamists.

[cbx]

I agree that radical Islamists don't adhere to MAD doctrine. But, you never see the leaders do the suicide bombing. It's always subordinates. The will to live and survive is hardwired in anything living.

It takes political or ideological conditioning to do otherwise. Even when an individual sacrifices themselves for his fellow man, it's so that the fellow man can survive.

Survival is the bottom line. Even if the most jihad driven man in charge on the planet decides to up the ante, I'm pretty sure that they know that if they torch off a WMD, the response will be in kind.

All I'm trying to say is don't lose sleep over the impending doom of a WW3 shooting scenario. It's not going to happen, and if it does, you can't do Jack about it. Just sit back, put on your shades and enjoy the light show.

[Doc Safari]

All I'm trying to say is don't lose sleep over the impending doom of a WW3 shooting scenario. It's not going to happen, and if it does, you can't do Jack about it. Just sit back, put on your shades and enjoy the light show.

Well, I'm stocking up on supplies that might be rationed or in short supply, like ammo, emergency food, etc.

Ask an old timer what rationing in World War 2 was like. Makes you want to get a Sam's Club card and go to town.

[ColtSeavers]

What scares me more than a nuclear bomb of any sort going off in the middle east, if that is possible, is just how few options America has in the matter. If it is even able to be involved in it to begin with.

If the US leaves the Pike, China, alone to settle into the South China Sea part of the pond, and it continues to look like a boxer past his prime. At least until China goes too far.

Once the US goes at it with it's debt owner, China dumps all it's US debt on the open market, crippling the US economy, again, and taking the rest of the world with it, again, or at least the rest of the world still using the dollar.

Now China and even Russia are back in the spotlight promoting their desired world monetary standard to be used. Afterall, what are the serious alternatives at this point?

America will first be fought over overtly by groups trying to rebuild it, and groups taking this second openning to finally finish the subversion.

As the length of time America spends in the rabbit hole continues, the likelyhood of open fighting (revolution?) increases right along with it.

Whose to stop it? Law enforcement in general has already been waterboarded and hung out to dry. Now that they are either being paid in IOU's or even rations, if they are being paid in anything at all, are they really going to risk it all? Is the unarmed, unskilled and 'medicated' general public? When $6000 buys a cup of coffee?


Now that China has 'Swept the leg' of the US, it can no longer participate in the Middle Eastern Mambo.

If it is difficult to have Middle Eastern nations keep using the dollar now, while it at least continues to haphazardly support those nations, then it will surely be nearly inpossible then, when there is absolutely zero support on any sort.

Speaking of the Middle Eastern Mambo, while the proxy and land wars continue, Iran sees that the US is gone and takes the gloves off, stops playing follow to strictly lead and can now use nukes itself.

If Saudi Arabia, Jordain and other ME nations can gain or gain too much against ISIS into Iraq (removing the buffer zone), Iran may just decide to save Israel for dessert and have them for dinner.

India and Pakistan sure as hell won't be along to help Saudi Arabia. Iran can nuke west and south.

If the proxy land wars continue to stagnate, Iran let's a bomb out into the wild, to be used by someone else, against whomever, even themselves, thereby giving them the excuse to use one themselves.


Either way, nukes are used.

Israel stuck with same options, strike now or be martyrs.



Best options right here and now?

Australia takes on China over the South China Seas problem. This brings England into the fold and leaves the door open for the US.

The US takes out Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities violently and utterly, then revisits the open door in the South China Sea. This reasserts the US as the current heavyweight champion of the world, and solidifies continued use of the dollar as the standard around the world. The record player skips a beat, but keeps playing.

Israel keeps it's mouth shut and to itself.



The problem now is that the current administration either knows this and is actively working to nullify all options by doing nothing anywhere and making peace accords with Iran or it is so inept, it somehow has Inspector Clouseau'd it's way there. Either way, it seems dead set on staying the course of the long game of subversion.

[ColtSeavers]

For the record, I am neither trying to imply that this is going to happen, nor am I trying to 'scare' anyone else into believing this will happen. I am simply excercising possible ways WWIII starts, and America's outcome, 'out loud' as it were, based on current events and plausible scenarios.

[Outlander Systems]

The issue I see with any moves against the dollar is the Fat-Chick Analogy.

While the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency/asset sucks, it sucks LESS than the other alternatives.

We are the hottest fat chick at the bar, fellas. We're fat. We're not hot. We are simply the hottest of the fat chicks.

[Hank6046]

For the record, I am neither trying to imply that this is going to happen, nor am I trying to 'scare' anyone else into believing this will happen. I am simply excercising possible ways WWIII starts, and America's outcome, 'out loud' as it were, based on current events and plausible scenarios.

You are so wrong, I see WW3 starting because I didn't put the toilet seat down and used "the good towels" after I washed my hands.;)

I see the next large war kicking off due to Ideology, Islam v Capitalism. I don't mean Islam the religion instead Islam the culture and yes there is a difference. I see Russia picking fights in the Mid-east because they are trying to become the worlds gas station. They will drag China in as it wants to keep its farmland in both the Eastern Europe and Africa, I do believe that they are heavily invested in these area's to feed there ever growing population. This will be China's Vietnam, or our version of Iraq. They will be forced to fight with one hand behind there back in order to win the hearts and minds.

[ColtSeavers]

The issue I see with any moves against the dollar is the Fat-Chick Analogy.

While the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency/asset sucks, it sucks LESS than the other alternatives.

We are the hottest fat chick at the bar, fellas. We're fat. We're not hot. We are simply the hottest of the fat chicks.

I agree completely.


However, my problem with the analogy is what happens when this fat chick's credit card gets declined, and she can no longer buy whomever she wants drinks, and then another chick walks into the bar and orders a round of drinks for everyone?

[ColtSeavers]

You are so wrong, I see WW3 starting because I didn't put the toilet seat down and used "the good towels" after I washed my hands.;)

I see the next large war kicking off due to Ideology, Islam v Capitalism. I don't mean Islam the religion instead Islam the culture and yes there is a difference. I see Russia picking fights in the Mid-east because they are trying to become the worlds gas station. They will drag China in as it wants to keep its farmland in both the Eastern Europe and Africa, I do believe that they are heavily invested in these area's to feed there ever growing population. This will be China's Vietnam, or our version of Iraq. They will be forced to fight with one hand behind there back in order to win the hearts and minds.

I respectively disagree. I see Russia looking to score back door deals with the winner of the middle eastern mambo dance competition to get what they want. This gives them an edge over China that they need.

Russia has the military, but China has the economy?


I do agree that culture is a larger issue than religion.

[ScottsBad]

Some might say that the tin foil is very thick over the heads of some in this thread. But as I have said before it is cheap insurance to wear a tin foil hat and be prepared than to be caught unaware and die.

I think there are practically an infinite number of scenarios and combinations of scenarios that could lead to a world war or what I fear is a war and collapse of America.

I sure don't read anyone saying they have confidence in Obama or our political class now or in the future.

I think it is likely that in the next 25 years America will go though a tremendous crisis and will not emerge as the America we know and love.

Sorry for the bad news. It could happen before Obama leaves office or it could happen when we hit a fiscal and monetary cliff, or there could be a war. But I'm pretty sure it will happen. I pray it won't.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

The issue I see with any moves against the dollar is the Fat-Chick Analogy.

While the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency/asset sucks, it sucks LESS than the other alternatives.

We are the hottest fat chick at the bar, fellas. We're fat. We're not hot. We are simply the hottest of the fat chicks.

God, I'm getting old. That made me horny.


I agree completely.


However, my problem with the analogy is what happens when this fat chick's credit card gets declined, and she can no longer buy whomever she wants drinks, and then another chick walks into the bar and orders a round of drinks for everyone?

The problem is the new fat chick.... sorry I can't continue with the analogy.


China and the US have each other by the short hairs on the debt. It is not a unidirectional weapon, it's the new MAD- Monetary Assured Destruction. They shut off the money and we stop buying their stuff. We stop buying and the world economy goes Ker-KLUNK. China stops exporting and their economy takes a nose dive and then you have mass mayhem in China and a revolt. Still scary, but they have more to lose than we do. That is for the 'nuclear option' scenario. Heck, the FED will step in and buy Treasuries- been there, done that. I'll take inflation over complete social collapse that would happen in China. Not saying that they couldn't do something smaller to influence us.

[THCDDM4]

It is of my opinion that a large scale and damaging cyber attack is the most probable way things will kick off. Cyberwar fare is the future.

If anyone really wanted to skin Americas hide; that's the only real way to accomplish it without massive fallout and total destruction of the world as we know it.

A focused cyber attack with focused small scale bombing/destruction of key infrastructure if done correctly could turn the lights out; stop the food trucks, turn off the water, etc- create our own destruction from within due to riots and chaos.

Glad we have the best hackers et al on the planet here at home; but this is how I envision things going downhill fast with the greatest of ease for our enemies.

6GW is knocking on the door.

Then again maybe skynet will go online and destroy us all, we're getting pretty close to some next level shit as far as nano tech, robotics, AI, etc. the singularity may be coming to a neighborhood near you...

[ralph]

Some might say that the tin foil is very thick over the heads of some in this thread. But as I have said before it is cheap insurance to wear a tin foil hat and be prepared than to be caught unaware and die.

I think there are practically an infinite number of scenarios and combinations of scenarios that could lead to a world war or what I fear is a war and collapse of America.

I sure don't read anyone saying they have confidence in Obama or our political class now or in the future.

I think it is likely that in the next 25 years America will go though a tremendous crisis and will not emerge as the America we know and love.

Sorry for the bad news. It could happen before Obama leaves office or it could happen when we hit a fiscal and monetary cliff, or there could be a war. But I'm pretty sure it will happen. I pray it won't.

This^ is probably the most realistic answer here... If one looks around, there many potential triggers that could start WWIII, Ukraine, Middle East, China, a fiscal collapse, The sad fact is, all are possible. Trying to guess which one it is that will kick things off is a waste of time. I wholly agree with the quoted post, We are going to be a different country after, and I'm afraid The U.S. we grew up in, will be nothing but a memory. With a totally corrupt gov't that insists on starting a war somewhere, and a Military Industrial Complex that believes in endless war, I honestly don't see how this country is going to last too much longer. 25 years is being generous.. With the level of corruption and genuine stupidity that abounds within our gov't I don't give it 10years. Smart money is on those who are preparing for surviving the aftermath.

[Airhasz]

Delete

[Outlander Systems]

6GW is knocking on the door.

Then again maybe skynet will go online and destroy us all, we're getting pretty close to some next level shit as far as nano tech, robotics, AI, etc. the singularity may be coming to a neighborhood near you...

The amount of money being allocated towards this is sobering. The interesting thing, that nobody wants to discuss, is the fact that we haven't figured out how to program "friendliness" into the systems; on the contrary, we are accelerating taking human decision making out of the kill-chain.

Eliezer Yudkowsky's legendary black-box, Houdini-experiment showed that a clever human can easily escape the system. If ASI was in play, there's no containing it. Throw all the Hollywood Bullshit(capital T intended) in the bin.

Mr. Yudkowsky's famous quote is haunting, "The machine neither loves us, nor hates us; it simply has more efficient uses for our atoms."

Folks like Eliezer, Ben Goertzel, Nick Bostrom, and most importantly, Steve Omohundro are the only ones seriously working towards preventing a horrific outcome to this.

Look, a very simple, very narrow-AI System known as Stuxnet got out of control, and did more damage than its designers anticipated. What makes anyone think they can control a powerful AGI system? Elon Musk is correct in his assesment that we have are, essentially, summoning a demon.

Anyone barfing up Asimov's plot devices can go suck start an AA12.

We're playing with fire, and I would argue it's more dangerous than nuclear fission.

[Koshinn]

Look, a very simple, very narrow-AI System known as Stuxnet got out of control, and did more damage than its designers anticipated.


Stuxnet isn't AI unless you stretch the definition of "AI" so much that it's effectively meaningless and could describe the simplest of machines. And really, how much damage did Stuxnet do besides to its intended target?

[Outlander Systems]

Stuxnet isn't AI unless you stretch the definition of "AI" so much that it's effectively meaningless and could describe the simplest of machines. And really, how much damage did Stuxnet do besides to its intended target?

It's not a "stretch". Artificial Intelligence has different levels of complexity. Stuxnet is weak/narrow A.I. If you want to split hairs, and sniff wine, it is an "autonomous agent".

There was even concern that Stuxnet was able to infect systems on the ISS.

Beyond the immediate damage it caused, including systems inside CONUS, is that, now the software is readily available to any dick-squeezer with some coding skills to reverse-engineer and modify. Quite simply, it's not unfeasible for someone to use a modified version of Stuxnet to attack Industrial infrastructure in the United States. Keep in mind, that the virus was able to infect systems with an air gap.

Basically, think of a tactical nuke, or a drone strike.

Now, instead of the drone becoming bits and pieces of debris when it crashes, or a massive explosion when the nuclear payload is delivered, the target now has a complete working nuke or a fully functioning drone to pick apart, modify, and use to either counterattack, or jump-start a nuclear weapons/autonomous drone program.

[Moose-Knuckle]

I knew it was Khazar Soze all the time....

Art imitates life . . .

"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist."

[Moose-Knuckle]

The petrodollar is the linchpin. The world turns on a single economy, BRICs nations, Fabian socialists, global banking cabal, et al. many times things are not what they appear. There are wizards behind the curtain.

[soulezoo]

The petrodollar is the linchpin. The world turns on a single economy, BRICs nations, Fabian socialists, global banking cabal, et al. many times things are not what they appear. There are wizards behind the curtain.

And the USA just passed Russia as the world's leading producer of oil/natural gas. With depressed prices, Russia, Venezuela and etc have been hurt badly. China is seeking to make their own oil which is why they are "invading" the Spratly's. Saudi and OPEC in general have not reduced production in order to maintain world market share prices be damned in order to force out the US shale players. Shale oil, like tar sands in Canada, is much more difficult and expensive to extract than Saudi oil. So they have a margin. Added to all this, much of the gas you put in your tank comes from Saudi oil; the refineries that exist in the US are mostly built to process "sour crude" or the heavy crude that comes from Saudi. Not so much "Brent Crude" or even Texas "light, sweet crude". What are the chances the US govt are going to allow new refineries to be built? When was the last ground up refinery built in the US?

It is an interesting chess game being played...

[Koshinn]

It's not a "stretch". Artificial Intelligence has different levels of complexity. Stuxnet is weak/narrow A.I. If you want to split hairs, and sniff wine, it is an "autonomous agent".

There was even concern that Stuxnet was able to infect systems on the ISS.

Beyond the immediate damage it caused, including systems inside CONUS, is that, now the software is readily available to any dick-squeezer with some coding skills to reverse-engineer and modify. Quite simply, it's not unfeasible for someone to use a modified version of Stuxnet to attack Industrial infrastructure in the United States. Keep in mind, that the virus was able to infect systems with an air gap.

Basically, think of a tactical nuke, or a drone strike.

Now, instead of the drone becoming bits and pieces of debris when it crashes, or a massive explosion when the nuclear payload is delivered, the target now has a complete working nuke or a fully functioning drone to pick apart, modify, and use to either counterattack, or jump-start a nuclear weapons/autonomous drone program.

What's your background in cybersecurity, if I may ask?

[TXBK]

I think that WWIII will be started by an underachieving hacker that accidentally finds a backdoor into NORAD. Thinking that he is only playing a war game, he will engage in an imaginary simulation of Global Thermonuclear War with Russia. Reacting as if the simulation is real, the computer system that controls all of our nuclear missiles will launch all of them at Russia and we will all experience MAD, firsthand.

[Doc Safari]

I think that WWIII will be started by an underachieving hacker that accidentally finds a backdoor into NORAD. Thinking that he is only playing a war game, he will engage in an imaginary simulation of Global Thermonuclear War with Russia. Reacting as if the simulation is real, the computer system that controls all of our nuclear missiles will launch all of them at Russia and we will all experience MAD, firsthand.


LOL.

I think it will start because the underachiever in the White House has so weakened the US in the eyes of the rest of the world that some leader of an unfriendly country will decide to stick his military where he hadn't oughta...

Think Saddam's invasion of Kuwait on a global scale.

[Koshinn]

I think that WWIII will be started by an underachieving hacker that accidentally finds a backdoor into NORAD. Thinking that he is only playing a war game, he will engage in an imaginary simulation of Global Thermonuclear War with Russia. Reacting as if the simulation is real, the computer system that controls all of our nuclear missiles will launch all of them at Russia and we will all experience MAD, firsthand.

Unless that underachieving hacker makes the computer realize that the only way to win nuclear war is to not play?

[wildcard600]

Aliens

or Wolfman.

[Outlander Systems]

What's your background in cybersecurity, if I may ask?

Degree is in CIS
Certificate in Networking

In a former life I was a database consultant for various government entities.

In a former life before that, I...analyzed data.

Now I'm just a lowly Geomaticist.

[mark5pt56]

We could have solved this long ago, we had two solutions-Patton and MacArthur.

[Outlander Systems]

We could have solved this long ago, we had two solutions-Patton and MacArthur.

Hear, hear!

[TXBK]

Unless that underachieving hacker makes the computer realize that the only way to win nuclear war is to not play?

Yeah, but then he wouldn't be an underachiever, if he outsmarted the artificial intelligence and saved the world.

[Koshinn]

Yeah, but then he wouldn't be an underachiever, if he outsmarted the artificial intelligence and saved the world.

He didn't save the world, he convinced the computer to not destroy the world. Big difference!

[williejc]

Eliminating Saddam also removed Iran's biggest enemy. The 2nd war destabilized the region enough for ISIS to emerge and run amuck. Nation building? Arab democracies? And we continue to give $$billions to Egypt who recently locked up their first and only democratically elected president. The Arab world will be a player in the next big one which may start accidentally when mixed signals are wrongly interpreted.

If widespread domestic unrest evolves into riots and then anarchy, this anger will spread throughout the military now staffed by diverse groups with varying degrees of entitlement. Then the evil ones will have or try to gain global absolute authority while the USA and Brits wring their hands, and some Frenchman pushes the button and BANG.

[Hank6046]

Eliminating Saddam also removed Iran's biggest enemy. The 2nd war destabilized the region enough for ISIS to emerge and run amuck. Nation building? Arab democracies? And we continue to give $$billions to Egypt who recently locked up their first and only democratically elected president. The Arab world will be a player in the next big one which may start accidentally when mixed signals are wrongly interpreted.

If widespread domestic unrest evolves into riots and then anarchy, this anger will spread throughout the military now staffed by diverse groups with varying degrees of entitlement. Then the evil ones will have or try to gain global absolute authority while the USA and Brits wring their hands, and some Frenchman pushes the button and BANG.

The Arab spring as it is now referred, was caused by a fierce drought that hit Egypt and Syria. It hit the whole middle-east in fact but Syria sold off its food reserves and Egypt was ill equipped to deal with a low yield. The small towns and fraction communities rebelled against a mainline city government, and that led to the two countries in their current state. This is where the seriously radical elements of Islam found a new under-educated populace willing to work for little money and a promise of a future. ISIS is a fraction that will at some point be some sort of governing body and then will want a piece of the oil or new government pie. They exploit Iraq because its weak, but I don't think that the mainstays of the Mid-east will let them develop beyond anything more than a 'Stan' type government with them making deals with Jordan, Saudi Arabia or most likely Turkey.

[Pi3]

http://www.theonion.com/article/world-begins-another-day-mercy-19-year-old-estonia-50628

[Hank6046]

http://www.theonion.com/article/world-begins-another-day-mercy-19-year-old-estonia-50628

I hate how true that is, the Onion can be funny, when they aren't pushing an agenda

[drsal]

WW#3, cyber war, economic collapse..yada yada yada.... I'm going to beach.

[ColtSeavers]

I completely disagree with those that honestly believe WWIII will be started because of hacking.

Much like we see in the the media, Hacking has no 'smoking gun' to use as a lynchpin to garner enough support to even report, much less prove and, ultimately, go to war over.



ETA: Though I do agree with just how dangerous it truly is and am saddened over then ambivalence given to it.