There are a whole lot of countries dramatically falling apart in Sandland. There is no law that says world wars have to start in Europe: indeed, Japan's invasion of Manchuria had a lot to do with starting World War II.
The usual pattern is that the USA does NOT get involved right away: we wait a good year or two or three years and then are dragged into it all, kicking and screaming, which is exactly why we adopted the role of world policeman after WWII ended.
However, we can't stop all this going on: nobody could. Clearly the disorder is spreading, now to Turkey and Jordan and Lebanon. It's an out-of-control wildfire like the fires in California and Idaho. While the wars are all civil wars inside nationstates it's not so much of a problem, but when they spread to other states -- attacks on Israel, Turkey destabilized by refugees, Syrians blowing up Lebanon, the contagion spreading to oil-rich countries we depend on for fuel ---- that could become a big and sudden problem.
It's very hard to correctly identify the beginnings of huge conflicts: NO one knew WWI was starting till the last week in July 1914, a week before the Germans goosestepped over the Belgian border. Nobody took the "phoney war" seriously 1939-1940: until the quick conquest of France, and the Blitz started. Before that, war had been declared but nothing happened for months, so people thought, we can fix it, they'll have talks.
What's going on in the Mideast is HUGE. Anybody seen a lot of stuff happen in the world that's this bad? Because I haven't, and I've been watching for awhile. Is this WWIII?
The usual pattern is that the USA does NOT get involved right away: we wait a good year or two or three years and then are dragged into it all, kicking and screaming, which is exactly why we adopted the role of world policeman after WWII ended.
However, we can't stop all this going on: nobody could. Clearly the disorder is spreading, now to Turkey and Jordan and Lebanon. It's an out-of-control wildfire like the fires in California and Idaho. While the wars are all civil wars inside nationstates it's not so much of a problem, but when they spread to other states -- attacks on Israel, Turkey destabilized by refugees, Syrians blowing up Lebanon, the contagion spreading to oil-rich countries we depend on for fuel ---- that could become a big and sudden problem.
It's very hard to correctly identify the beginnings of huge conflicts: NO one knew WWI was starting till the last week in July 1914, a week before the Germans goosestepped over the Belgian border. Nobody took the "phoney war" seriously 1939-1940: until the quick conquest of France, and the Blitz started. Before that, war had been declared but nothing happened for months, so people thought, we can fix it, they'll have talks.
What's going on in the Mideast is HUGE. Anybody seen a lot of stuff happen in the world that's this bad? Because I haven't, and I've been watching for awhile. Is this WWIII?