Last night’s announcement of strikes against “seasoned al Qaeda operatives in Syria” has many people wondering if World War III is inevitable in the near future. ISIS’ planned genocide of Christians in Syria brings back thoughts of World War II and the mass genocide of members of the Jewish faith, drawing parallels to what might happen if ISIS is left to their own vices. Although the scale is much smaller than that which Adolf Hitler commanded, the threat is still there that the world may come together and work toward eradicating the threat of ISIS, while others choose the other side of the war. President Obama spoke to the extent of the fight to dethrone ISIS and the coalition attack that took place last night. He stated that the coalition attack,
“[M]akes it clear to the world that this is not America’s fight alone.”
The words World War III have not been directly stated in regards to the extent that the battle may erupt, however a war involving many large nations in all different parts of the world is the true definition of a World War. So far, two such wars have taken place. With escalated tension against Russia and the increase of activity in the Middle East, it is quite possible that the world is kn the threshold of World War III . Despite the definition of a World War, it is important to note that there is no definition as to the severity of such a war. Therefore, it is possible that World War II could be rather anti-climatic in terms of destruction and devastation as various countries strategically work together to eradicate the threats to the world’s well being. Last night’s strike against ISIS could be the extent of such a war.
ISIS Militia [Photo Courtesy Daily Mail]
Despite the potential for victory against the targets of last night’s strike, the threat is not over. Former CIA counter-terrorism official Phillip Mudd shared his thoughts on the threat to CNN .
“When this gets interesting to me… is six months down the road, when a second-tier ISIS commander starts to create some sort of cell to recruit foreigners from Europe or the United States or Canada into Syria. Do we still have the will and capability, and the intelligence, to locate that person, or that group of people, and put lead on the target?”
Some feel that the fear Phillip Mudd expresses is real and should be taken seriously. Auday Arabo is the spokesperson for the St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Diocese in Detroit and he feels that any outcome of war is directly attributed to a failure on the part of the United States and any genocide that occurs could have been prevented.
“We know the United States is not the world’s peacekeeper and shouldn’t get involved in every tragedy in the world. But what makes Iraq different from Rwanda and Darfur is what’s happened in Iraq is a direct result of U.S. foreign policy.”
He continues,
“We caused this in Iraq. Whether people say George W. Bush should not have gone in or Barack Obama should not have pulled out, we caused this genocide on the Christian community. Therefore, we have a moral obligation to act.”
Mudd did not mention World War III directly, but he did reference World War II in his comments.
“What’s happening is horrific. We have pictures of Christians who have been crucified. Households have been stamped with what we call the red death stamp – the red Arabic letter N, which stands for Nazarene. It’s very reminiscent of what happened to Jews during the Holocaust with the labeling and systematic execution of Christians.”
[Photo Courtesy: Telegraph]
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko stated his concern that ISIS may not be the biggest threat in a probably World War II, but instead a dissolution of NATO. FOrbes reported on the potential threat of NATO’s demise, sharing Poroshenko’s worries.
“Without any doubt, the international system of checks and balances has been effectively ruined (by Russia’s actions). The world has been plunged into the worst security crisis since the U.S. (Cuban missile) standoff of 1962.”
There is a real feat that if Ukraine is taken by Russia, the Baltics will be next. If Russia is not stopped, which could draw focus away from smaller groups such as ISIS, NATO may be at risk of falling apart and World War III could be practically invited in like a Vampire standing at your threshold.
Are worries of World War III unwarranted in today’s advanced society, or does that advancement make the imagined version of World War III more realistic?
