As the World Looks On, Are We on the Virge?

2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
Main article: 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
After the Israeli-Lebanese conflict began on July 12, several people have speculated that the world has begun its Third World War. In a July 15, 2006 article in the Seattle Times, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has stated that in the coming days he plans to speak out publicly, and to the Administration, about the need to recognize that America is in World War III. He listed the ongoing violence in the Middle East, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other things as proof that America is in World War III. Seattle Times Article Glenn Beck, who as noted above considers the War on Terrorism to be the Third World War, has also applied this label to this conflict (specifically during late July 2006 on his CNN Headline News program.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_III#2006_Israel-Lebanon_conflict

That seems like a perfectly reasonable declaration. Everything seems to point to this idea.

Yes, I think we're in WWIII, but just like the last two world wars, I don't think it's going to be the "end of the world", just a nasty war.

Why would you even bring up this idea!!!!

Dont say things like that!

One of local news programs was showing a clip from CNN by Jeanne Moss about that very subject and at the end it had an e-mail responce from a viewer that said something like "Don't you know it won't be a World War til France surrenders?" It also had where some people consider the Cold War to have been WW III.

As is demonstrated in the above post since there are really no agreed upon criteria for what defines the term 'world war' its ridiculous to ask if we're in one/verging on one. This way of talking will achieve nothing except distort peoples perception of the situation. Whilst i like to see it brought to the fore and people ought to be talking about it. This frame of thinking is not a productive way to do it.
If people want to talk about these matters, why not do a little write up that will help people understand what the fighting is actually about, the history of it (i'd sure like to understand it a bit more) or have a who can come up with the best solution thread.
Anything but a ...How bad do we all think this is gonna be? .. thread!

You get more of what you focus on.

love the monkeys

The third world war will be over resources. Wait a decade after peak oil when we're sliding down the back side of the Hubbert Curve. That'll be a war.

~Ulrika~

Aint no World War till we do some good ol' fashioned Carpet Bombing!!!

Someone gets it.

In fairness, though, Ulrika, we started with the 9/11 "attacks" and the immediate subsequent assault on Afghanistan to secure natural gas piplines and on Iraq to secure their oil. But insofar as all of that will look like a mere warmup compared to the war in full swing ... you're probably exactly right.