Do you think the USA is on the path towards conventional conflict with a major power?

19 comments

1. Every decade has its “we’re all gonna die and this generation is doomed” conflict that spurs all the older people into a craze. But so far, we’ve been, for the majority, fine, so no.

   That being said, if I had to pick one nation that we’re closest to going toe to toe with, it would probably be either China or Russia. Shocker, I know.

2. China will eventually invade Taiwan and we have a 50% chance of actually fighting in that. Also Russia can still go more insane and invade a NATO nation. All the other great powers are on our side.

3. Only according to terminally online people

4. No. No one has anything to gain from war. At least if the two sides are comparable in power. The effect will be a net loss for both sides (even for the side that achieves their objectives). More proxy wars are likely though.

   Let’s all just be peaceful **so we can trade peacefully** :).

5. No. America is the only superpower in the world. No one else would willingly go to war with us

6. I think the US will get into conflict with itself long before another world war breaks out

7. Look, if we survived the Cold War, I cannot imagine we’re going to get involved in anything too ridiculous for the foreseeable future.

8. Not directly. There will likely be more proxy wars like Ukraine or Taiwan. (I think the writing is on the wall for Taiwan)

   But no, after how incredibly unpopular the Middle East wars became and how pissed off the American people still are about the whole thing, the US public has no stomach for “boots on the ground” at this point.

   Plus, all the major world powers are nuclear powers now. Even the military-industrial complex fat cats have no desire for a nuclear holocaust. Mutually-assured destruction is ultimately bad for business, you know?

9. No

10. I still have a feeling an “accidental” shell will fall on NATO soil from Russia so yes.

11. No, I think we’ll remain in proxy wars but direct conflict I don’t see happening unless things escalate really bad, really fast.

12. Well, it’s pretty common on reddit and in the media to see people advocating that we go to war with russia over Ukraine. If we can keep the war mongers from getting their way, and keep this as a proxy war, then the odds of a conventional war with anyone are pretty low.

13. I certainly hope that this won’t happen as there is an extremely high probability that such a conflict will come with a tragic loss of human life.

    My hope is that we can continue to isolate and contain aggressive regimes and for the liberal world order under American hegemony to hold, as it has by every objective measure introduced the most peaceful time period in human history, a period that while far from perfect, has seen exponential growth and peace compared to centuries past.

14. I think if we are, then its going to more or less be WW3. Either Russia or China and its going to become a large international war.

15. Not a chance. We hope Ukraine does well but we’re not going to war with Russia over it.

16. No way

17. Not as likely as all that.

    Russia seems to have its hands full with Ukraine, and there’s simply too much in it for China *not* to go to war with the US.

18. I do not, no. First of all, there is ONE major power we could be talking about when it comes to war with the US in the sense of global power and that’s China.* China knows perfectly well it would not be us vs them. 东方红 would be much more literal a description for what the South China Sea would be; it would be a collaboration of carnage. China has too much incentive to not start a conflict of such a scale, a conflict which, at best, would sign China up for devastating casualties preceding a gruesome trudge of an occupation.

    In other words, I doubt China’s resolve so long as it doesn’t have to leap to maintain face and maintenance of what we euphemistically call “the status quo,” especially with the dedication the US has and continues to approach protecting Taiwan with, should be fine and is generally supported by the Taiwanese citizenry itself. So, while you could argue we’re on the path to war with China, I would argue the opposite.

    *= Russia COULD invade NATO and launch WWIII, but calling them a global power feels a bit generous at this point.

19. Is it a certainty? No. However, it seems more and more likely and would would be unsurprising, considering the relationship between war and human nature. The possibility is a reason I enlisted.