Next Military Foe for U.S. (Non Middle East)

[JSojourner]

What do you think?

I know most people would say Iran, so I purposely left Iran off and I am choosing to keep the Middle East and the Horn of Africa out for a specific reason.  I do think we'll be involved over there in some form or fashion for decades.  (Somalia worries me, for one.)

But my purpose here is to encourage global thinking.  The current administration is ill-prepared for any aggression from other parts of the world.  We need to be able to juggle five or ten balls at a time, not just one.

Okay -- jump in!

[Platypus]

None.

EVERY major and almost all minor conflicts in the world atm involve non-muslims vs. muslims. The only real exception is Korea, but there's not really any military conflict there.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

While I think none of these is likely, Venezuela is the most likely, as there exists the possibility of Chavez miscalculating and starting a war with Colombia which we would likely intervene in.

[CPT MikeyMike]

I'll tell you one thing: We will not go to war in China.

I remember one of my first ROTC classes and the instructor said "We will never go to war with China."  They have the largest military in the world and I would not want to f#@k with them.

North Korea will mess themselves up and Cuba has zilch.

I would have to say Venezulea will be because of Chavez screwing up like Ernest said.

[Beet]

I'll tell you one thing: We will not go to war in China.

I remember one of my first ROTC classes and the instructor said "We will never go to war with China."  They have the largest military in the world and I would not want to f#@k with them.

Never say never. I really hope your instructor was right though.

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I doubt it. Ernest is probably talking about more of a proxy war where we fund certain paramilitaries and Venezuela funds certain paramilitaries. I dont think Chavez would actually start a real war with Colombia.

[The Man From G.O.P.]

None, it will be more middle east if anything

[JSojourner]

None, it will be more middle east if anything

I think that's also the most likely scenario.  Or, if not Middle East per se, perhaps intervention in some Islamic Republic like Mauritania.

I never did understand why the Clinton or Bush administrations didn't go after the Al Qaeda camps there. 

[The Man From G.O.P.]

None, it will be more middle east if anything

I think that's also the most likely scenario.  Or, if not Middle East per se, perhaps intervention in some Islamic Republic like Mauritania.

I never did understand why the Clinton or Bush administrations didn't go after the Al Qaeda camps there. 

Thre are so many attacks that can be made on "why didn't we" from both administrations while I think the Clinton admin failed miserably with all this, they also had image businesss to deal with, we all do what benefits us at the time...


all things considered we just need to fix it now

[Citizen James]

The martian seperatists.

The tricky thing is that things can change fairly quickly on the international scene, and ultranationalism is a poison that no nation is immune to.

Germany part 3, anti-muslim sentiments in France fueling a neo-fascist movement, Japan seeking to return to being a true world power rather than just an economic one - there are a lot of possibilities.

Of the ones listed, North Korea is easily the most millitant and unstable.  A suicidal Kim Il Jong could easily start a real mess.

China has it's millitant elements, and it's leadership involves a lot of backroom politics.  Attempting to cross the Formosa strait would problably cause quite a bloodbath, and I'm still concerned that some opportunist might try for a grab at India, pakistan, or another neighbor which doesn't require lift capacity to  invade.

Russian millitants yearning for the old days might be a threat, but I think they'd have their hands full just dealing with the mob in trying to consolidate power.

Venezuella seems content in name-calling and capitalizing on our internationally unpopular government than any sort of actual shooting war.

If Fidel goes nuts in his last days, the war would last less than five minutes.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

None of those in the poll - Either those countries: a) are too political insignificant to really count or b) are too Economically dependent on the US to raise it's ire too much (or c) both).

Of course this presumes that leaders of those countries will stay sane - which can't be said with great confidence of Kim Jong-il.

But at present all major conflicts point to the middle east. Just depends on the proverbial "what happens next?"

[GMantis]

It is funny everyone thinks that the next military foe of the USA will initiate the conflict when the opposite has been the case in almost all wars for 60 years.
As for the options in this poll, Cuba seems the most likely , followed by Venezuela.  The other ones seem very unlikely. Russia and China have substantial nuclear weapons reserves. North Korea is the only on the list which might attack the USA or its allies, though even this seems unlikely.  An attack on North Korea by the US will probably not hapen, unless under extreme circumstances.

[Michael Z]

Who can say. Geopolitics is a fickle business.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

It is funny everyone thinks that the next military foe of the USA will initiate the conflict when the opposite has been the case in almost all wars for 60 years.

No, the general pattern since WW II has been to either:

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Korea and Gulf War I are the two biggest examples of option A while Vietnam and Gulf War II are two biggest examples of option B.  Our next major military action in the world will thus likely be as a result of option A.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

If Mexico has another sleazy eleciton and we have a candidate wanting to overturn it we'll probably have to occupy it to stop the civil war/refugee flow as a result of it.

[opebo]

Haha, as always the foe of the US military is the american working class.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Haha, as always the foe of the US military is the american working class.

Enjoy your AIDS, commie.