Does world war 3 equal nuclear war - and how close do you think we are to that ?

Question

World war 3 - Russia and whoever is with Russia pitted against the US and whoever is with the US - That is my definition

How close are we to that as tensions rise in the Black Sea with Naval build ups on both sides - with exchanges heating and threats are going back and forth

An action requires a response - Cheney says "this can not go unanswered" and "Russia says this requires a response" etc etc

Russia must retreat - The US set up this attack and we aren't going anywhere

Russia has eyes on the Ukraine and others

The US wants to use Georgia to bomb Iran and is re-arming Georgians

The accusations are flying and turning into hard positions on both sides

If these 2 nations "get into it" as soon as one of them feels they are losing - won't that make nuclear war far more likely ?

If the US thought it was losing against Russia - wouldn't you think Bush and or McCain/Obama would push that nuclear button ?

Why would the Russians be any different if they thought they were about to lose ?

Answer 1

The Bush administration certainly has pulled us within a half second of nuclear war by withdrawing from Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia.  I don't know why our leaders have to go around the world picking fights with everyone.  We should not stand for this.

Answer 2

It is "very likely and very probable", according to Paul Craig Roberts.

Answer 3

World War III started on September 11th, 2001.

BTW - something to keep in mind is that in the US nuclear weapons are becoming regarded as obsolescent.  The advent of precision munitions has allowed one airplane to have the strategic effect of a nuclear weapon without the collateral damage.

Another thing to consider is the fact that a cost/benefit decision will be made prior to the us of any nuclear weapon.  And these weapons will be used only if the consequences of not using them are worse than the consequences of using them.

And yet another thing to consider is that if nuclear weapons are used the goal of both Russia and the US would be to terminate the conflict while using the fewest number of nuclear weapons possible.

Answer 4

If it starts, it will be the Russians who start it.

Answer 5

It doesn't look too good. This might play out into the "October Surprise" setup that US citizens seem to always look for from the fascist right wing Repubs, hopefully without the nukes flying over our heads.

This is from NOVOSTI: http://en.rian.ru/world/20080902/1164871...

MOSCOW, September 2 (RIA Novosti) - Georgia is mobilizing commando units near its border with South Ossetia, a senior Russian military official said on Tuesday.

Russia officially recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states on August 26, saying the move was needed to protect the regions after Georgia's August 8 attack on South Ossetia.

"According to our information, Georgian security forces are trying to restore their [military] presence in Georgian populated villages in South Ossetia. With this aim, Georgia is mobilizing its special forces from the interior and defense ministries near the administrative border with South Ossetia," Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, the deputy chief of Russia's General Staff, said.