Specifically, the deals you're talking about are a multi-billion dollar reactor Iran is purchasing from Russia and a multibillion dollar oil trade going to China.
But I don't forsee it causing problems.
Russia wants the money, but they wouldn't go to war for it. Halting oil to China would certainly piss them off, but it wouldn't cause them to go to war.
Also, Iran will take another five years to get nukes, as a conservative estimate. They WILL be getting nukes though, no matter what we say or do, barring an all out invasion and destruction of Iran (Not just stationing troops, I mean DESTROYING Iran.) The UN will do nothing because the UN is too inept and pathetic to do anything.
A much more interesting, and likely, starting point for a WWIII would be Palestine. Hamas, a political party advocating and violently rallying for the destruction of Israel, recently won 76 of 134 seats in their legislature. Palestine is a nuclear power, and with an increasing number of radicals in government, they might just be pushed over the breaking point. If so, Iran would back them, and perhaps a few other Muslim nations, though the US would stand behind Israel (who is already a nuclear power AND a considerable conventional military force), and will likely have the backing of most of Europe. China would likely throw it's weight against Iran if forced into the conflict, since China doesn't want other nations in possession of nukes, but would likely remain neutral as long as possible.
N. Korea might take advantage of the situation to make some threats, but they don't have nukes as of yet and likely cannot get them.
Be it noted that such a conflict wouldn't be a traditional World War, and could easily be won. That's why it's unlikely to happen: Iran and Palestine know that they'd be mostly alone facing several nuclear powers as well as more military forces than they could ever imagine.
Also, a place to look for growing conflict is the coming onset of Cold-War type feelings between China and the US (Verbal Conflict)
|
|
Bookmarks