Great power clashes defined the 20th century: two world wars claimed tens of millions of lives, and the Cold War that followed shaped everything from geopolitics to sports. But at the beginning of the 21st century, the ever-present fear of World War III seemed to be in our historical rear-view mirror. How wrong we were!
This risk of the past has returned in recent days. Russia's war in Ukraine and the frequent sightings of bombers decorated with red stars in the past have put NATO on its highest level of alert since the mid-1980s. In the Pacific, the United States and a newly powerful and assertive China are engaged in a massive arms race. China has built more warships and aircraft than any other country in the last few years, while the Pentagon is rapidly replacing weapons with a new generation of new technologies. On the "bottom" of the Pacific is certainly Taiwan, which seems to be the next "point" of conflict.
This will happen if China invades Taiwan
The concern is that the cold war of the 21st century with China and its partner Russia could heat up in the next moment and turn into a full-fledged cold war. And that World War 3 actually started with the start of the conflict in Ukraine.
Since 1945, the world has done a remarkably good job of preventing wars between the great powers and raising the costs of unprovoked aggression. Russia broke this system in a matter of days and completely turned the world upside down. The Great War, World War 3 is at least likely - and this is a significant shift in the perception of the world today. Because this probability will shape our near and distant future.
Countries around the world – especially in Europe – are already rethinking their entire foreign policy, and this is just the beginning. Every government will be watching closely what happens in Ukraine and whether the global response to Russia is capable of deterring further escalation. And this means huge changes in the thinking and also the perception of each individual in what kind of world we live in.
Is this the end of the world order? Are we entering a new era of great power conflict? Are we already looking at World War III without even realizing it?
In the editorial office, we reviewed some scenarios that various scientists and populist content creators have prepared and published in recent years on various media and social platforms. Some of them accurately outline the course of probable events, where, of course, a clash of superpowers also means an imminent nuclear conflict. Others describe the current events in Ukraine and predict the course of events in the near future.
Infographic of a possible world war between the USA and Russia - 2019
In 2019, the Youtube channel "Infografic Show" published a shockingly far-sighted scenario of World War 3, which also sets tentative dates for the beginning of the conflict and outlines a rather dark future in the days to come. The informative video is set in the month of March 2022, when World War 3 begins precisely because of the Ukrainian crisis.
How a global nuclear conflict would end - a scientific simulation
A video that shows with considerable probability and accuracy what a nuclear conflict would look like, where the world would be destroyed and practically the entire world population would be wiped out.
Why You Most Likely Won't Survive World War 3
The infomatic video shows the exact course of events that individuals would experience in the event of the third world war and, of course, puts forward the thesis that you will most likely not survive this war.
