Category Archives: Ww3

A staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said he regarded the US action as "aggression against a sovereign nation" on a "made-up pretext.

And he savaged the cynical attempt to distract the world from civilian deaths in Iraq, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Just hours after the strikes, he announced the attacks had seriously damaged ties between Washington and Moscow - which a spokesman claims was already in tatters.

Adding the missile strike broke international law, Russias foreign ministry also said it was obvious that the US strikes had been prepared before the chemical attack.

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Two US warships fired 59 cruise missiles from the eastern Mediterranean Sea at the Syrian airbase today following a poison gas attack in a rebel-held area on Tuesday.

At least 70 people, many of them children, were killed in the chemical attack in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun - but the Syrian government has denied it was behind the atrocity.

Now the US has launched its toughest direct action so far during Syria's six-year-old civil war.

DONALD TRUMP ANNOUNCES SYRIA AIRSTRIKES - SPEECH IN FULL

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Trump ordered a massive military strike against a Syria

Washington's step will inflict major damage on US-Russia ties

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov

And the move has left Donald Trump facing his biggest foreign policy crisis since his inauguration, further heightening tension with Russia and Iran.

Announcing the attack, President Trump said: "Years of previous attempts at changing Assad's behaviour have all failed and failed very dramatically.

US officials said they informed Russian forces ahead of the missile attacks and took great pains to avoid hitting Russian troops at the base.

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But Russian strongman Vladimir Putin has lashed out at the controversial decision - which Trump claims was in Americas vital national security interest.

Kremlin and pro-Kremlin lawmakers have since suggested the missile launch had dealt a significant blow to any hopes of doing business with Trump.

Mr Peskov said: Putin views the U.S. strikes on Syria as aggression against a sovereign state in violation of the norms of international law and on a made-up up pretext.

"Washington's step will inflict major damage on US-Russia ties.

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He added Russia did not believe that Syria possessed chemical weapons and that the move would cause a serious obstacle to creating an international coalition to fight terrorism.

Russia is now expected to call for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the matter.

Iran also denounced the "destructive and dangerous" strike, the Students News Agency ISNA quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.

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Still image shows Russian Bastion coastal missile launchers launching Oniks missiles at unknown location in Syria

The spokesman added: Iran strongly condemns any such unilateral strikes ... Such measures will strengthen terrorists in Syria ... and will complicate the situation in Syria and the region.

However Britain gave its backing to the military action in thebeleagueredregion.

A government spokesman said: The UK government fully supports the U.S. action, which we believe was an appropriate response to the barbaric chemical weapons attack launched by the Syrian regime and is intended to deter further attacks.

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BRINK OF WW3: 'You PLANNED THIS!' Putin accuses USA of plotting strike BEFORE chemical hit - Express.co.uk

April 6 1917 = WW1 does April 6 2017 = WW3, chv?

The USA entered into World War I on April 6 1917, it looks like exactly 100 years later, on the same day, it might have entered WW3

what do you mean by that?

As if anyone seriously worries about the US bombing the Syrians. You do realize that using poison gas against civilians is considered a heinous war crime. Though if you want an analogy, if the US enters the Syrian War on one side it could tilt the war in that sides favor (presumably the Kurds and/or the Syrian insurgents, to the detriments of ISIS and the Syrians (backed by the Iranians and Russians). However there is minimal chance of this leading to something bigger (since as it is the Russians are not in a position to do much, and the Iranians dont want to totally alienate the rest of the Islamic world by supporting Assad after he goes around gassing people).

It does seriously hurt the Democratic party in the USA which invested much political capital in arguing that Trump is a Russian agent. It also might warn both Russia and North Korea that the mad man in the White House isnt to trusted to turn a blind eye to their aggression (unlike his super-cool risk-averting predecessor).

Akuperma, while its convenient to put all the bad guys on the same side, ISIS and the Syrians are opponents in this war, not allies. Hizbullah and the Russians are with Syrian regime aka Assad. ISIS is on the same side as Syrian rebels aka insurgents, and apparently the USA. If it sounds like a mess, thats because it is. As for the title of this thread, Al tiftach peh Its almost Pesach. May we be zoche to a true zman cheiruseinu!

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April 6 1917 = WW1 does April 6 2017 = WW3, chv? - Yeshiva World News

Russias unwavering support of Syria, even after the Chemicalattack, killingover 70, could draw the conclusion that war could be on the horizon.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cited the opinion of the Russian military, which said the contamination may have been caused by damage to a rebel chemical weapons storage site.

You have heard the statement from the Russian Defense Ministry and I have nothing to add to the facts they stated. The Russian Federation and its military are continuing the operation to support the anti-terrorism operation and liberation of the country, which is being conducted by the Syrian armed forces,Peskov said.

The acting Russian envoy to the UN will voice this position during an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday, which was called following the chemical incident, Peskov added.

At least70 people, including 11 children, have been reported killed in the town of Khan Sheikhoun after a suspected chemical weapons attack on Tuesday morning. Rebels accused the Syrian government of bombing the town with chemical munitions.

The accusations have been backed by a number of Western governments.

Staffan de Mistura, UNs special envoy for Syria, said reliable evidence would be needed to confirm the alleged use of chemical weapons, let alone establish who was responsible for it.

We have no yet any official or reliable confirmation,he said on Wednesday.We will be stimulating all those who have the capacity of finding out technically what had happened.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also said there was no evidence yet to draw any conclusion on what had happened in the Idlib governorate, but stated that the Syrian government heldprimary responsibilityfor the situation.

Amid the public condemnation of Damascus for the attack and Moscow and Tehran for their support of the Syrian government, some experts pointed out that the Syrian Army had no rational reason for using chemical weapons against rebels in Idlib.

Iran, an ally of Damascus, condemned on Wednesday any use of chemical weapons and offered help to the victims.

We are ready to bring the victims to Iran and help them,Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said, as quoted by Tasnim news agency.

Earlier Turkey, an opponent and frequent critic of Damascus, reported treating dozens of victims of the alleged attack in hospitals located in the border province of Hatay, AP said.

The incident in Khan Sheikhoun happened days after Washington stated thatousting Syrian PresidentBashar Assad was no longer a priority for the US. The Assad must go premise was one of the cornerstones of Washingtons Syrian policy under Barack Obama. The Trump administration has been dismantling many of Obamas policies.

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Could Russia's Unwavering Alliance with Syria Start WW3? - TRUNEWS

THE US has just signed a huge new defence contract as it looks to tackle Chinese military action in the Pacific with fears of all-out-war increasing.

It has sealed a $2.2 billion deal with Boeing for at least 17 state-of-the-art anti-submarine planes, named P-8A Poseidon.

And video revealed the Navy has already been training its Thai allies in using the planes, which have the worlds most advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

The training exercise named Cobra Gold 2017 took place over the western Pacific Ocean last month and was the largest security cooperation exercise in the region.

The South China Sea remains one of the world's most tense areas as it provides the main route for Chinese nuclear submarines.

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We will intercept any intruding aircraft and follow every military vessel in areas under our responsibility

For these submarines missiles to pose a first or second strike threat to the continental US, they must transit the South China Sea and enter the Western Pacific, Malcolm Cook, senior fellow at the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, explained in a report last year.

Fears were heightened last month when China conducted its own military training exercise in the area that involved bombers, fighter jets and early-warning aircraft.

It resulted in Japan scrambling its own aircrafts in response.

But Chinese state media claimed the exercise did not target any specific countries or goals and was conducted in accordance with relevant international laws and conventions.

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It is the latest in a line of aggression after Chinas first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, cruised into the Western Pacific for the first time in December.

And officials in China have confirmed that the up-tempo pace of exercises will continue.

We will intercept any intruding aircraft and follow every military vessel in areas under our responsibility, Wang Weiming, deputy chief of staff of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army, told the official Xinhua News Agency.

With relations between the US and China fragile, holding a joint live-fire military display with the Thai army could be seen as making things worse especially when Trump's chief advisor Steve Bannon believes America and China will be at war 'within a few years.'

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Thai and US military tanks participate in a live fire military display

With President Trump continuing to be outspoken on international matter, the massive US deal with Boeing includes options for 32 additional aircraft, as well as money for long-lead parts for future orders.

The Navy will receive 11 aircraft, while Australia will expand its P-8A fleet with four more. The UKs first two P-8A jets are part of the agreement, with first delivery set for 2019.

It comes as a Pentagon report revealed US would LOSE WW3 to China as it was not ready to take on highly capable opponents.

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WW3: US signs $2.2bn deal to tackle China nuclear submarines ... - Daily Star

World War 3 Could Start in This Ignored Region

World War 3 might be in the making and sooner than anyone expected. The potential epicenters of WW3 are multiplying with each passing week. The Middle East shows no signs of calming. The offensive against ISIS and other groups continues, while the U.S. and Russian superpowers may entertain sharply diverse ambitions over Syria and the future of the region.

As if the traditional WW3 hotspots werent enough, another is brewing again in Europe now. The U.K.s divorce from the European Union is assuming tones not unlike King Henry VIIIs abandonment of the Catholic Church. That fueled tensions for centuries between the two leading European empires of the day: England and Spainand Scotland.

Today, Gibraltar and Scotland could prove to be dangerous thorns against Londons plans. The match between Spain and the United Kingdom is back on in an ever more dangerous global geopolitical scenario. The two kingdoms have fought each other to dominate the seas since the 1500s.

Before Hitler tried to invade the U.K. in WW2, Spain tried in 1588, deploying a fleet of over 130 ships to attack the British Isles. Now, Brexit has refueled tensions and awakened old rivalries. Gibraltar is but four square miles in area, but it has served as a reminder of Britains ultimate win over Spain since the beginning of the 1700s. It remains a British overseas territory.

Yet, Gibraltar is surrounded by Spain. Once, Britain is out of the EU, it loses its privileged access to Gibraltar. Now, British Prime Minister Theresa May said she would follow in the footsteps of none other than Margaret Thatcher in the Falklands. The Iron Ladydeployed 30 ships and troops to force out Argentine occupiers from the archipelago located off the coast of Argentina in 1982.

The Falklands War, which started on April 2, 1982 lasting until July 14 of that year left 1,000 soldiers dead. A British Conservative MP urged PM May to show resolve to defend the people of Gibraltarmilitarily that is. So much for the European Union; if peace, the main reason why anyone still supports the EU, is frail there, what of the rest of the world?

Its unlikely that a British military intervention over Gibraltar could spark WW3, but it would create a situation that other powers, like Russia, could exploit. The U.K. will replace its EU ties with stronger ones to the United States. Thus, Gibraltar risks weakening NATO, a prospect dear to Russia and Vladimir Putin. WW3 between Russia and the United States does remain a possibility.

The CIA, much of Congress, and the mainstream media are sparing no effort to find links between Russia and Trump. In fact, theres no evidence whatsoever that Trump has a cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Thus, the risk of the U.S. and Russia reaching a major collision that could spark WW3 cannot be excluded.

If the Middle East and Eurasia (Russia extends across both Europe and Asia) arent enough, theres always North Korea. For the past few weeks, Kim Jong Un, the temperamental North Korean dictator, who allegedly had his own uncle executed for alleged treason, has been rattling his proverbial sword.

Indeed, World War 3 is in the making and its epicenter might occur in the Korean peninsula. North Korea has been on the U.S. naughty listas well as the Axis of Evilsince its formation. North Korea and the United States have not signed a formal peace. Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, there has been a perpetual state of tension.

Thats why there are at least 40,000 U.S. troops stationed near the border between North and South Korea at any one time. The fact that the war in Korea began so soon after the end of WW2 makes most people forget how big it was. Over a million U.S. soldiers took part and over 50,000 did not return. It was a big war.

In 1975, the war in Vietnam ended. To exploit Americas perceived lack of appetite for another fight in Asia, then North Korean President Kim il-Sung tried to persuade the Chinese to revive a North Korean war. A similar effort was rumored in the early 80s. Thus, North Korea has been itching for a confrontation with the United States and the West.

Now, more than at any other time, that scenario is reappearing. However, given the fact that North Korea has proven it has rockets able to reach Japannot to mention South Koreathe war risks being nuclear. It risks becoming the cradle of World War 3.

This scenario could materialize because of several factors. Not least of these is the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. The U.S. president has made no secret of his concerns about China, engaging in a provocative policy towards Beijing. Not since the days before Nixon traveled to the Chinese capital in 1972 to ease relations have the U.S. and the Chinese giant faced greater strain.

Chinas support against North Korea is essential. Its one of the few powers that has influence over Pyongyang. It can threaten to cut off imports of coal at any time, severely weakening what little is left of the North Korean economy and sources of currency.

Should Washington continue to pursue an aggressive path toward the Peoples Republic, Beijing could retaliate. North Korea presents an ideal blackmail scenario. China could refuse to play a favorable influence, that is one dissuading Dear Leader Kim Jong Un from pursuing his nuclear weapons ambitions.

Beijings diplomatic absence would create the conditions for the spark to rekindle the conflict. The spark could happen right in an area that has already served as the spark of international tensions. It is ironically known as the DMZ, or the demilitarized zone. Its actually a strip of land that has separated major land armies.

The Korean Peoples Democratic RepublicNorth Koreahas made every effort to present itself as a full-blown nuclear power. Military analysts believe North Korea could already have 20 nuclear weapons in its possession. In a few more years, having conducted various rockets capable of deploying nuclear warheads,North Korea could gain the ability to launch one of these nuclear tipped missiles against the United States itself. (Source: Tillerson: 20 years of failed diplomacy toward North Korea, USA Today, March 16, 2017.)

But it could hit American allies in the Pacific Oceanlike Japanand American interests even sooner. The direct presence of some 28,000 American troops in the DMZ has always made the area a virtual powder keg. Meanwhile, apart from China, Russia has interests as well by virtue of the fact, it too, borders North Korea.

North Korea, not unlike the Middle East, is where various geopolitical interests clash. The difference is that the DMZ and North Korea present a bigger headache for the United States than the Middle East. Thats because the only power in the latter region to have nuclear weapons is Israel, a staunch U.S. ally.

In the DMZ, U.S. interests have to confront three nuclear powersall of which are hostile: North Korea, China, and Russia. The Korean war has sometimes been called the Little World War. It was World War 3 by another name. It would be historically ironic for that war to re-ignite and acquire full WW3 status.

At that point, theres little point in speaking of economic collapse or financial crash. WW3s level of destruction could literally terminate the human race. Still despite those odds, world leaders appear to have lost all sense of logic, pushing the boundaries of logic with warmongering language and threats.

Getting back to Russia Ukraine, Russia poses well known risks. North Koreas ability to deploy nuclear warheads to the United States has not been proven. Meanwhile, there has been a relentless demonization of Vladimir Putin. Trump wants to Make America Great Again. Thus he cannot afford to allow Putin to gain an inch in Europe.

Rather than the peace with Putin, America may be heading straight into a war with his Russia. Washington is doing everything it can to prevent Europe and Russia from improving ties to the point that a free trade area can emerge within the Eurasian continent. Because Russia spans from Finland to China, free trade between the EU and Russia would enable a direct link to China.

In other words, Washington wants to prevent the rebirth of the Silk Route. Shifting the focus of world trade back to Europe and Asia via land also involves more energy exchanges. As Europe moves away from nuclear power, it needs to replace it with a reliable source. So-called clean energy is more hype than reality. Thus, the only alternative to coal remains natural gas.

Russia has plenty of it. One of the reasons why the U.S. may have chosen to overthrow the government in Ukraine in 2014, close to Russia, was to block the linking of the EU to Asia via the Russian land bridge. The prospect of Russia becoming the main supplier to meet the EUs energy needs would damage U.S. influence irreparably.

Moreover, in such a scenario, the U.S. dollars role as the main trade currency would end. That would make U.S. debt among the biggest in the world and much more difficult to manage. The U.S. economy wont just collapse; it will sink into a swamp. Thats why Russia, even though there is no longer a Communist Soviet Union, remains a concern.

After all, Americans never seem to wonder why Russia and the U.S. never stopped pointing nuclear tipped rockets against one another. Its because Russia has such wealth of resources and geographic reach, spanning from China to Europe, that it threatens Washingtons hold on world dominance.

Washingtons relations with Russia will always be problematic because Russia poses a constant threat to US ambitions to dominate the world. Geography, or rather geology, determines a countrys political and economic fate. Russia contains vast reserves of oil and natural gas. In turn, Europe needs the gas to heat its homes.

There is a tendency for Europe to reach for a more interdependent relationship with Russia. That could prove to be a nightmare for the United States. Thats why the threat of World War 3 lingers ever closer. The first few months of 2017 have only increased the volatility and the number of potential spark zones to launch WW3.

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This Is How World War 3 Could Start - Lombardi Letter - Lombardi Letter

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General Curtis Scaparrotti, the US European Commander and NATO's Supreme Commander, declared Russia a very lethal, tough enemy and wants additional armoured ground troops alongside sea based assets.

He said: "They (Russia) have made the statement openly that they see a use for nuclear tactical capability within what we would consider a conventional conflict, which is very alarming.

They are using weapon systems that can either be conventional or nuclear

US military general Scaparrotti

"One of the things you see that is disturbing is the fact that they are using weapon systems that can either be conventional or nuclear, which then makes it difficult for us to clearly understand what they've employed."

The general is relishing the addition of state of the art F-35 fighter jets that can carry nuclear and conventional bombs.

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Putin's warships sail past the White Cliffs of Dover

He continued: Today, we have about a little over 60,000 of all services stationed in Europe. It provides a force that allows us to deter today.

"We need a greater force there, I think potentially in the land component a footprint of an armoured division, for instance."

Donald Trump recently increased the defence budget by a reported $54billion, which alone makes up 80 per cent of the disclosed Russian military spending.

Scaparrotti added: I personally believe that we need to consider lethal defensive weapons for Ukraine. They are fighting a very lethal, tough enemy.

It's Russian proxy, really, and the Russians provide some of their newest equipment there in order to test it.

At the moment the US, Britain, Greece, Poland and Estonia are spending the minimum target of two per cent of their GDP on defence, despite a commitment in 2014 from all 28 Nato members to reach the two per cent spending target by 2024.

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The comments follow a declaration of support for Nato from Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary.

Four RAF Typhoons are being sent to Romania to help police the Black Sea and provide reassurance to countries worried about Russia's military ambitions.

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Fallon said: The UK is stepping up its support for Natos collective defence from the north to the south of the alliance.

With this deployment, RAF planes will be ready to secure Nato airspace and provide reassurance to our allies in the Black Sea region.

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WW3: US general demands more troops to counter 'very lethal ... - Express.co.uk

Where Will World War 3 Begin?

In 2017, the marching sound of boots on the ground is already echoing throughout Eastern Europe. The South and East China Seas have become a prime destination for military ships and U.S. diplomatic tensions are at a level of intensity not felt since the coldest days of the Cold War. It would be foolish, therefore, to dismiss warnings or fears of World War 3 in the next few years.

Any major conflict that breaks out now could escalate to a World War 3 scenario. These are hardly the musings of a few conspiracy theorists or eccentrics. The present geopolitical and economic background is weak, theres a tremendous potential for unforeseen events (black swans) to trigger a calamity as WW3.

Where could it happen? Whereas World War 1 could not have started but in Europe, given that the worlds international powers were there, World War 3 could start anywhere. The United States remains the dominant power today. Whether we have a WW3 in 2017 or a WW3in 2018 is anyones guess. But the conditions exist for a World War 3 in 2017.

In 1914, when WW1 started, the U.S. was powerful, but also isolationist and less influential than the United Kingdom or even France. Just consider that the international language was French and not English in 1914!

Today, any number of settings could set off the deadly spark of conflict. Russia-Ukraine and the Syrian War lend themselves to WW3 predictions. Everything in the world is unfolding as if the world is already preparing for war, worries none other than former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Gorbachev managed what could have turned into WW3 with Russia into one of the most peaceful periods in recent history. That period was the early 1990s and at least insofar as Eurasia and the Americas are concerned, the world felt safe. Now that China has entered the arms race, a China WW3 scenario cannot be excluded.

There was palpable hopefulness about the future, even if the real economy had already started to give way to the predatory and unproductive financial games that would lead to financial crashes and economic collapse rivaling 1929 in negative intensity. Such was the optimism of those years between 1990 and 1996 that, never before or again, were the Palestinians and Israelis so close to reaching a permanent peace.

The 1990s began with the fall of the Berlin Wall, opening up the Eastern Bloc, and breaking up the Soviet Union. That process faced and passed a major test in 1990/1991. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein launched an invasion of Kuwait in August of 1990.

By January of 1991, the United States had assembled a major international coalition. It even included Soviet-protected states like Syria in the coalition. Had the United States responded to a similar invasion while the Cold War was in full swing, it could have resulted in WW3, triggering a Russian response.

But, as the 1990s progressed, the integration of Russia in the western system did not proceed well. Under Boris Yeltsin, who led the Russian Federation after Gorbachev allowed the Soviet Union to break up, Russia saw a wild west rapacious form of capitalism. A handful of people with government connections became fabulously wealthy taking over former state productive assets for kopeks on the ruble.

But, there was a plan from the West to encroach on Russia, weakening its influence. The wars of the former Yugoslavia provided a perfect opportunity to divide and conquer. After the independence of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, and Montenegro, NATO used Kosovo as a trigger to complete the task. They weakened Serbia and humiliated Russia.

Yeltsin could do little but watch. In 2000, Vladimir Putin took over the presidency and changed the submissive tune of the 1990s. He restored Russian nationalism and pride. The West has tested Russia on several occasions, finding out that Putin wont budge. The latest and biggest of these tests has been Syria.

Now, the spark for WW3 in Syria has become a credible proposition. Likewise, nobody can dismiss the possibility of a spark for WW3 in China or in North Korea. Clearly, the U.S. government and many of its allies and rivals worry about it. If they didnt, world leaders would be less keen to spend taxpayers money on heavy armaments.

In 2017, Europe will celebrate 60 years of unprecedented peace. The event that symbolizes the start of that peace is the Treaty of Rome of March 25, 1957. It was the foundation for the European Union. Yet the EU faces internal and external threats now. The celebrations of politicians aside, it has raised the alarm that theres high risk of global conflagration again.

Europe might not last another five years, let alone another 60. An increasingly uncertain world, the physical and political barriers set up after World War 2 are eroding at a fast pace. The leading powers of the Cold War, while building their armies and nuclear stockpiles, tried to avoid bellicose rhetoric. This was especially the case after the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

Now, many people, whether or not in positions of power, are worrying about a major world war again: WW3. A recent report on what the world might be like in 2035, published by the National Intelligence Council, offers few reassurances and many concerns. (Source: The National Intelligence Council: The Upcoming Global Trends 2035 Report,Small Wars Journal, May 30, 2016.)

The report, loaded with WW3 predictions, speaks of economic and environmental calamities, which create the very kinds of conditions that lead to wars. The question is, however, will the world as we know it even make it as far as 2035? The intelligence agencies discuss what they call the paradoxes of progress.

Despite the economic and technological opportunities, our societies have never been threatened by so many dangers. Thus, they present a number of scenarios that could spark a major global war, or WW3, over the next 20 years. History has taught us not to trust peace agreements. David Fromkin wrote one of the best books ever on the topic of WW1.

The title of the book does not mince words or intentions: A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East.In it, Fromkin discusses the events and developments leading up to the First World War. In particular, he breaks down the flawed formation of the current Middle East, highlighting its potential to serve as a trigger for many wars to come.

Thats one of the reasons that Islamic State, or ISIS, has raised such concerns. It has literally leveraged its power on the back of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles that Fromkin identified as a weak link in 1989. At the Paris Conference in 1919, then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill drew the map of the modern Middle East after the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire.

George W. Bush and his advisors made a huge mistake, ignoring Fromkins analysis. Fromkin notes that Iraq in particular, created by assembling three Ottoman provinces together (Shiites in South, Sunnis in the middle, and Kurds in the north), was a time bomb that could go off anytime. Syria, meanwhile, was subdivided into small rival regions.

That left them prone to fighting among themselves. Indeed, as David Fromkin put it, it was a truly the peace that would end any hope of peace. Not surprisingly, to date, most Arab states have only known the rule of the iron fist. Thats because its been the only way to keep those countries united and somewhat stable.

When one of these dictators falls, as in 2003 in Iraq or in 2011 in Libya, the state edifice collapses. President al-Asad in Syria has not fallen only because the West miscalculated Russias resolve to maintain Syria in one piece. While the war with ISIS and the other Islamist rebels appears to be ending, groups like ISIS can spring up anytime.

The potential for a WW3 beginning in Syria exists now. President Trump might scrap the Iran nuclear deal. He has said that clearly. Scrapping the deal means the U.S. or Israel will launch a military strike against Irans nuclear facilities. At that point, Iran, a Russian ally, would enter a state of war with the United States, dragging in key elements of the Middle Eastern chessboard.

Had the U.S. pursued Iran or Syria in the 1990s, when Russia was dealing with the aftermath of the USSRs collapse, there would have been little risk of repercussion. Moscow was still trying to make sense of the Afghanistan disaster to become involved in a Middle Eastern war. But, Putin has put Russia on the nationalist march again. He will react.

As the world stands now, a black swan event could spark a Syrian war that could pit the U.S. against Russia. Thus, the impact of the First World War continues to affect the future and where the triggers of the next war shall emerge. The problem is that NATO has been pushing its borders to the threshold of the Russian Federation after the Cold War.

That means Russia would come under pressure from Europe as well, even the spark for war came from the Middle East. The Russia-Ukraine tensions remain. All it would take to intensify the level of mistrust is NATO extending membership, even a partial one, to Ukraine.

The military West, NATO, and the U.S. have exploited Russias period of weakness to expand their influence eastward. Sabotaging relations between Russia and its European neighbors was one of the keys to achieve this effort. But Russia has not been weakened; the Syrian war has shown it has sophisticated weapons that are a match for whatever the Americans can throw at them.

From the intensification of the fighting in Ukraine to the revival of tensions in the South China Sea the world is dancing on the edge of a volcano to an eerie tune. Another global conflict is possible. It will be the Third World War, involving the United States of America and its allies in the West against Russia with its allies in the East.

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Global Tensions Could Trigger World War 3 in 2018 or Even 2017 - Lombardi Letter

Russia is an inalienable and organic part of Greater Europe and European civilization. Our citizens think of themselves as EuropeansThats why Russia proposes moving towards the creation of a common economic space from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, a community referred to by Russian experts as the Union of Europe which will strengthen Russias potential in its economic pivot toward the new Asia. - Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia and the changing world, February 2012

Therelentless demonization of Vladimir Putin is just onepart of Washingtonsmulti-prongedstrategy toroll-back Russian power in Central Asia and extinguish Putins dream of a Greater Europe. Along with the attempt to smear the Russian president as a KGB thug and dictator, the media has also alleged that Moscow intervened in the US presidential elections and that Russia is aserial aggressor that poses a growing threatto European and US national security. Themedia onslaught, which has greatly intensified since the election of Donald Trump in November 2016,has beenaccompanied by harsh economic sanctions, asymmetrical attacks on Russias markets and currency, the arming and training of Russian adversaries in Ukraine and Syria, the calculated suppression of oil prices, andaheavy-handedeffort to sabotage Russias business relations in Europe. In short, Washington is doing everything in its power to prevent Russia and Europe from merging intothe worlds biggestfree trade zone thatwill be the center of global growth and prosperity for the next century.

This is why the US State Department joined with the CIA to topple the elected governmentof Ukraine in 2014. Washington hoped that by annexing avital landbridge between the EU and Asia, US powerbrokers could control critical pipeline corridors that are drawing the two continents closer together into an alliance that will exclude the United States. The prospect of Russia meeting more of the EUs growing energy needs, while Chinas high-speed railway systemdelivers more low-cost manufactured goods, suggests that the worlds center of economic gravity is shifting fast increasing the probability that theUSwill continueonitspath of irreversibledecline. And when theUSdollar isinevitablyjettisoned as the primary means of exchange between trade partners in the emerging Asia-EU free trade zone, then the recycling of wealth into US debt will drop offprecipitously sending US markets plunging while the economy slips into a deep slump. Preventing Putin from creating a harmonious community of economies from Lisbon to Vladivostok is no minor hurtle for the United States. Its a matter of life and death.

Remember the Wolfowitz Doctrine:

Our first objective is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival, either on the territory of the former Soviet Union or elsewhere, that poses a threat on the order of that posed formerly by the Soviet Union. This is a dominant consideration underlying the new regional defense strategy and requires that we endeavor to prevent any hostile power from dominating a region whose resources would, under consolidated control, be sufficient to generate global power.

Washingtons relations with Russia will always be fractious becauseRussia poses a perennial threat toUS ambitions to rule the world. Geography is fate, and Russias geography contains massive oil and gas reserves that Europe needs to heat its homes and fuel its businesses. Thesymbiotic relationshipbetween supplier and end-userwill eventually lead to the lifting of trade barriers, the lowering of tariffs, and the smooth melding together of national economies into aregion-wide common market.Thismay beWashingtons biggest nightmare, but itsalso Putins top strategic priority. Heres what he said:

We must consider more extensive cooperation in the energy sphere, up to and including the formation of a common European energy complex. The Nord Stream gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea and the South Stream pipeline under the Black Sea are important steps in that direction. These projects have the support of many governments and involve major European energy companies. Once the pipelines start operating at full capacity, Europe will have a reliable and flexible gas-supply system that does not depend on the political whims of any nation. This will strengthen the continents energy security not only in form but in substance. This is particularly relevant in the light of the decision of some European states to reduce or renounce nuclear energy.

If Europewants areliable partner that can meet its energy needs, thenRussia fits the bill.Unfortunately, the US hasrepeatedlytried tosabotage both pipelines in order to undermine EU-Russiarelations. Washington would prefer that Europe either dramatically curtailits use of natural gas or find other more expensive alternativesthat dont involveRussia. In other words, Europes material needsare beingsacrificedfor Washingtons geopoliticalobjectives,the primary goal of which is to prevent the forming of Greater Europe.

Washingtons war against Russia is becoming increasingly militarized. Recently the Pentagon deployed more combat troops to Syria and Kuwait suggesting that US warplanners intend to shift from the current strategy of arming jihadist militias (to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar al Assad), to a more direct use of martial force to seize-and-hold territory in East Syria. There are signs of anuptick inthe violence in Ukraine too, asPresident Trump appears only-too-eager to usea more iron-fisted approach in settling regional disputes than his predecessor, Barack Obama.

Also, NATO has deployedtroops and weaponryto Russias westernflankwhiletheUS has spreaditsmilitary bases across Central Asia. NATO has continuedto push eastward eversince the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989. The steadybuildup of hostile armieson Russias westernperimeter has been a source ofgrowing concern in Moscow and for good reason. Russians know their history.

At the same time the US is building a ground-based missile defense system in Romania (Star Wars) that integrates the US nuclear arsenal at a site that is just 900 miles from Moscow. TheUSmissile systemwhich wascertified for operation in May 2016,cancels-outRussias nuclear deterrents and destroys the strategic balance of powerin Europe. Putin has responded byordering appropriate countermeasures. Here are Putins comments on the subject:

It seems that NATO countries, and especially the United States, have developed a peculiar understanding of security which is fundamentally different from ourown. The Americans are obsessed with the idea of absolute invulnerability for themselves But absolute invulnerability for one nation means absolute vulnerability for everybody else. We cannot agree to this.

In the last week, the Trump administration announced that it will deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to South Korea citing a need to respond to provocations by North Korea. In truth, Washington is using the North as a pretext for its plan to hem in Russia and China at axial ends of the Eurasian heartland as a means of containing the vast landmass that Sir Halford Mackinder calledthe pivot area stretching from the Persian Gulf to Chinas Yangtze River.

Washington hopes that by controlling critical sea lanes, encircling the region with military bases, and aggressively inserting itself where necessary, it can prevent the emergence of an economic colossus thatwill diminish the United States role as global superpower. Americas future rests on its ability to derail economic integration at the center of the world and prevail inthe Great Game where others have failed. Heres an excerpt from an article by Alfred W. McCoy titledThe Geopolitics of American Global Decline which helps to shed light on thestruggle that is now taking place for control over the so called world island:

Following World War IIthe US became the first power in history to control the strategic axial points at both ends of Eurasia With fears of Chinese and Russian expansion serving as the catalyst for collaboration, the U.S. won imperial bastions in both Western Europe and Japan. With these axial points as anchors, Washington then built an arc of military bases that followed Britains maritime template and were visibly meant to encircle the world island.

Having seized the axial ends of the world island from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in 1945, for the next 70 years the United States relied on ever-thickening layers of military power to contain China and Russia inside that Eurasian heartland. Stripped of its ideological foliage, Washingtons grand strategy of Cold War-era anticommunist containment was little more than a process of imperial succession.

By the Cold Wars end in 1990, the encirclement of communist China and Russia required 700 overseas bases, an air force of 1,763 jet fighters, a vast nuclear arsenal, more than 1,000 ballistic missiles, and a navy of 600 ships, including 15 nuclear carrier battle groups all linked by the worlds only global system of communications satellites.(The Geopolitics of Global Decline, Alfred W. McCoy)

For the last 70 years the imperial strategy has worked without a hitch, but now Russias resurgence and Chinas explosive growth are threatening to breakfree fromWashingtons stranglehold. The Asian allies have begun tocrisscross Central Asia and Europe with pipelines and high-speed rail that willgather together thefar-flungstateletsscattered across the steppe, draw theminto a Eurasian Economic Union, and link them to an expansive andthriving superstate, theepicenter of global commerce and industry. Grand Chessboardbrain-trust Zbigniew Brzezinski summed up the importance of Central Asia in his 1997classic stating:

Eurasia is the globes largest continent and is geopolitically axial. A power that dominates Eurasia would control two of the worlds three most advanced and economically productive regions. .About 75 per cent of the worlds people live in Eurasia, and most of the worlds physical wealth is there as well, both in its enterprises and underneath its soil. Eurasia accounts for 60 per cent of the worlds GNP and about three-fourths of the worlds known energy resources. (The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy And Its Geostrategic Imperatives, Zbigniew Brzezinski, p.31)

A new global empire is graduallyemerging in Central Asia, and while the transformative impact of economic integration has notyet been realized, US efforts to block the embryonic alliance are getting weaker and more desperate all the time. The hyperbolicpropagandaabout thealleged Russia hacking of the presidential election is just one example of this, while the arming of Nazi militants in Kiev is another.

The bottom line is that both Russia and China are using markets, development and raw ingenuity to beatWashington, while Washington relies almost exclusively on deception, covert activity and hard power.In other words, the former communists are beating the capitalists at their own game. Heres more from McCoy:

China is reaching deep within the world island in an attempt to thoroughly reshape the geopolitical fundamentals of global power. It is using a subtle strategy that has so far eluded Washingtons power elites.

The initial step has involved a breathtaking project to put in place an infrastructure for the continents economic integration. By laying down an elaborate and enormously expensive network of high-speed, high-volume railroads as well as oil and natural gas pipelines across the vast breadth of Eurasia, China may realize Mackinders vision in a new way. For the first time in history, the rapid transcontinental movement of critical cargo oil, minerals, and manufactured goods will be possible on a massive scale, thereby potentially unifying that vast landmass into a single economic zone stretching 6,500 miles from Shanghai to Madrid. In this way, the leadership in Beijing hopes to shift the locus of geopolitical power away from the maritime periphery and deep into the continents heartland. (Tomgram: Alfred McCoy, Washingtons Great Game and Why Its Failing, TomDispatch)

Washingtonis not going to letthe Russo-China plango forward without a fight.If economic sanctions, covert activity and financial sabotage dont work, then US powerbrokers willimplement morelethal strategies.The recent deployment of troops to the Middle East suggests that policymakers believe that a direct military confrontation might be the best available option, after all, a shooting war with Russia in Syria or Ukraine would not necessarily escalate into a full-blown nuclear conflagration. No one wants that. But if the fighting can be contained within Syrias borders, thenitwould be a practical way to rally theEU allies, torpedo Russias economic integration plan, and draw Moscow into a long, resource-draining quagmire. Is that what US war-planners have in mind?

Its a risky plan, but one that Washington wouldeagerly pursue if it helped to reinforce Americas global supremacy.

More:

Will Washington Risk WW3 To Block Emerging EU-Russia Superstate OpEd - Eurasia Review

Top 10 Nostradamus Predictions 2018

Michel de Nostredame, aka Nostradamus, wrote his first set of predictions using quatrains in 1555, and the books are still popular today. There is a reason for their popularity. Interpreters have shown that its possible to match Nostradamuss predictions with key historical figures and events. The Nostradamus predictions for 2018 are dire, as they include what might become World War 3 (WW3) and the end of taxes (see list below).

The Nostradamus WW3 predictions have gained traction because so many people feel helpless. They sense that the world is beyond their control and they feel that difficult times are ahead. Visionaries like Nostradamus have foreseen cataclysms and turbulent times. Nostradamus also confirms centuries-old expectations of a final battle between good and evil.

The period we are living has certainly given us many signs of this battle. the NostradamusWW3 predictions fit nicely in this framework. Thus, his predictions have gained currency and interest. Nostradamus didnt start to compile his visions until later in life in the middle of the 16thcentury, but he had started to experience visions at a very early age.

According to reports, Nostradamus would look into a bowl full of water and receive visions of the future. Nostradamus has been credited with predicting events as diverse as the 1871 Great Fire of Chicago, the rise of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s, and the rise of President Donald Trump in 2016.

For 2017, Nostradamus has predicted the start of a cataclysmic war, lasting into 2018. The source of his visions and his ability to predict the future with accuracy remain mysterious and should be taken with a few helpings of salt.

The Nostradamus World War 3 prediction is scheduled to break in 2017. Thus, a Nostradamus predictions list for 2018 should take into consideration events before and after. Abetter way to consider Nostradamus for 2018 is to look at the next four or five years, if humanity even has that much time left.

That said, beyond the individual Nostradamus future predictions 2018, there is a common theme. Negative energy will intensify and accelerate with unprecedented intensity and speed. One of the signs is the fact that society has become ever more inequitable, fueling the negative energy. This intensification of spiritual evil is what will provoke the destabilization of the world.

The culmination, according to Nostradamuss vision for 2018, will be a series of natural disasters and a third world war. While the natural phenomena might be hard to confirm, the first few months of 2017 have already sent us credible threats of war. After the Cold War ended, effectively in 1990, the world has forgotten the fear that World War 3news used to generate in our parents generation.

But World War 3 news has become current again. Thats because most people are ignoring the fact that Russia and the United States have resumed a level of tension not seen since almost 30 years ago. Instead of diffusing it, Senators and congressional representatives in Washington are fueling the risks.

1. Great eruption of Mount Vesuvius: For 2018, Nostradamus has predicted a great volcanic eruption. The volcano in question is Mount Vesuvius in Italy, and it will shake the earth every five minutes, killing between 6,000 and 16,000 people.

2. Humans will speak to animals: Nostradamus predicted that pigs will befriend humans. Those who have read Nostradamuss predictions suggest that this is a sign of scientific advancement. Genetic mutation will enable humans to communicate verbally with their animal companions.

3. Economic collapse:Not surprisingly, natural catastrophes and wars wont be good for business. Thus, Nostradamus has seen total economic collapse for 2018 or thereabouts. To this effect, Nostradamus warned that the rich would die many times over.

4. World War 3:This is the big one. Frankly, Nostradamus might get this one spot-on if Russia and the U.S. dont stop their warmongering. As Nostradamus puts it, A war will start between the two great world powers and it will last for a period of 27 years. A moment of great violence will coincide with the appearance of a comet in the sky. A nuclear terrorism and natural catastrophes will destroy our planet until a giant planet shall approach the earth.

As for World War 3, Nostradamus had predicted that one of the next few years, 2017 or 2018, will be pivotal for mankind. He announced economic collapse and World War 3 apart from the other details. These are the quatrains that sound most threatening, and that interpreters of Nostradamus are warning us about now:

Naval battle night will be overcome,

Fire in the ships to the West ruin:

New trick, the great ship colored,

Anger to the vanquished, and victory in a drizzle.

(Source: Nostradamus: Century IX, Internet Sacred Text Archive, last accessed March 22, 2017.)

The war might start at night, according to some interpretations. (Source: Nostradamus and the sequence of events leading to world war 3, Prophet666, February 6, 2012.)

Nostradamussquatrains describe a level of destruction more gruesome than anything hehad predicted earlier. It also fits with the suggestions of an Antichrist arising and of Trump fighting peoples that come from the eastISIS, for examplein the Mediterranean.

5. Worst earthquake in recent history:Judging by the fact that recent earthquakes have left tens of thousands of dead (e.g. China, Japan, Haiti, Italy etc.), Nostradamus must be referring to a cataclysmic one for the ages. But, whats more interesting to Americans is that this earthquake shall concern particularly the western area of the United States. Its power shall be felt in lands throughout the globe.

6. Right to parenthood:Those who want to have children will require a license or a permit. They wont be able to act as they please. Of all the predictions, this one makes sense in the context of the Malthusian fears that many rational economists already entertain. China has already experimented this policy, officially limiting families to having no more than one child. But theres more. Some governments and social sciences are already pushing the world to Nostradamuss prediction. (Source: Population Matters, last accessed March 23, 2017.)

7. Humans will live to be over 200:The advancements of medicine will raise humans life expectancy up to at least 200 years of age. An 80-year-old man will look just like a 50-year old. This prediction is also materializing. Life expectancy has increased to an average of over 80 years old in developed countries.

The number of 100-year old males and females still active is surprising. The 101-year-old David Rockefeller died on March 20, 2017, still active. Meanwhile, plastic surgery has made it possible for those who can afford it to look decades younger than their calendar age. Its logical to expect such trends to evolve. But to what end? Nostradamus has predicted WW3, after all.

8. Global warming: Unbelievable, but Nostradamus had predicted a climate catastrophe to suddenly burn the Earth over the next few years, if not months. The visionary warns that the King will rob the forests (uncontrolled deforestation?) and that the sky will open and the fields will burn up from the heat.

9. Language differences will disappear: Nostradamus wrote that, because of a new motor, the world will return to being as it was during the days of the Tower of Babel. Students of Nostradamus believe that the new language motor will be used as we use computers today. But Nostradamus says this is one of the signs that many world nations would cease to exist.

10. End of taxes in the West:Nostradamus may have another point here. In 2017, President Trump has promised to reduce income taxes. Meanwhile, many of the populist parties rising in Europe todaywith chances of leading electoral resultshave advocated lowering taxes as a prescription for economic growth.

Nostradamus predicts that the end of taxation will arrive via a mass revolt that will end the practice once and for all. Before you write a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), advising them of its imminent demise, remember that Nostradamus said taxation would stop only after a massive revolt. Nostradamus writes that people will simply refuse to pay the King any more taxes. Many will celebrate in a country where they have been taxing without mercy.

That could stand in for any developed country today. It may even suggest a massive tax revolt in the West in general. Nostradamus also suggests that the tax revolt might be part of an overall revolt against monarchies in countries that still have such institutions.

That could be anywhere from the United Kingdom to Spain, Norway, Sweden, orDenmark, where taxes are indeed very high.

Consider these predictions with caution, but many of these warningswith a few detail changes could certainly apply to the modern world. For the skeptics, among whom I include myself, there are doubtless some ominous-sounding Nostradamus predictions from the past to generate concern.

This one is especially noteworthy:

Songs, chants, and refrains of the slavish mob,

Whilst the Princes and King are captive in prison,

Shall be received in the future as oracles divine

By headless idiots deprived of judgment.

(Source: Oracles of Nostradamus, French Revolution, Internet Sacred Text Archive, last accessed March 22, 2017.)

Remember, Nostradamus was writing this in the mid-1500s. Yet, here he is describing an event that is eerily like what happened in his country in 1789, over 200 years later: the French Revolution. Thats when the French people decided that they had had enough of their aristocratic monarchy and revolted.

The peasants (the slavish mob cited above) took control of Paris and forced their demands on the royals and the nobility. The aristocracies (princes and king) were removed from power and locked up in the Bastille (prisons) and beheaded by the guillotine (headless idiots).

Link:

WW3? Top 10 Nostradamus Predictions for 2018 - Lombardi Letter

Although Britain, France, Israel, Russia and the United States voted no, while China, India and Pakistan abstained, 123 UN members said they would hold the conference to draw up a legally binding nuclear ban treaty.

Japan, which is the only country to have suffered atomic attacks, voted against the talks, saying the lack of consensus over the negotiations could undermine progress on effective nuclear disarmament.

The countries leading the effort include Austria, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa and Sweden.

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Hundreds of NGOs back their efforts, according to reports.

They say the threat of nuclear disaster is growing thanks to mounting tensions fanned by North Korea's atomic weapons program and an unpredictable new administration in Washington.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said: I expect that this will take a long time, let's not be naive.

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"But it's very important in these days when you see more of this rhetoric, and also sort of power demonstrations, including threatening to use nuclear weapons.

"Quite a high number of countries are actually interested in saying we have to break the deadlock that has been on this issue for so many years.

"So it's also the expression of frustration."

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While the major nuclear powers have made commitments to nuclear disarmament in recent years no actual progress has been made in working towards the goal set out in the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Beatrice Fihn, director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, an international coalition of NGOs, said: "There was disappointment with the Obama administration, which made some pledges, but then ignored most of them.

And now there are raised worries with the new US President.

No major powers have commented on the start of the talks so far, although the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, is expected to issue a statement on the sidelines of opening day.

US and French representatives explained their countries' opposition in October citing a need to make progress in stages, without disturbing the current strategic balance of weapons or jeopardising nuclear deterrence.

Ms Fihn compared such arguments to the logic of chain smokers. She said: "It's never the right time to quit.

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"But with the multipolar world, lots of countries feel like they don't have to wait for the superpowers to act.

Tensions over a possible global conflict have been rising steadily in recent months.

Donald Trump, before he became US President, was sabre-rattling in January. He wrote in a tweet: We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all.

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Similarly, North Korea has been making overtures of aggression to both the US and various neighbours including South Korea and Japan.

A recent statement issued by the Korean Peoples Army said that the North Korean Army will deal deadly blows without prior warning any time.

Tensions between the West and Russia have also been escalating with both sides carrying out high profile military exercises.

Recently Russian President Vladimir Putin moved 10,000 troops to the countrys borders while Spain sent tanks and armoured vehicles, along with 350 troops to Latvia in a bid to bolster Nato forces there.

More:

WW3 FEARS: Global bid to BAN nuclear weapons over rising concerns at North Korea - Express.co.uk