# 3 deaths that would cause the most chaos **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 6, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195 "2013-09-06T18:48:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195/21 "2013-09-07T07:14:30Z")
Taking out key scientists, inventors, and business leaders would probably cause more chaos to future human development than most political leaders. Only problem is we’d need time travel to figure out who’s the most important. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195/22 "2013-09-07T08:11:41Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > So I go with the top 3 people in Israel. Ain’t no _way_ they believe it’s natural. It would certainly \*confuse \*the hell out of the country, but they won’t start shooting until they know who to shoot at. When they do - and they will - expect some surprisingly rapid progress in the Israeli Lunar Program. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195/23 "2013-09-07T08:49:14Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > - expect some surprisingly rapid progress in the Israeli Lunar Program. Hmm? Is there a way to assassinate three major political figures in Israel and convince the Mossad that the attack was planed on Mars? Or on Alpha Centauri? ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195/24 "2013-09-07T13:43:34Z")
How about non simultaneous deaths? Kill the POTUS, then the next 2 successors. Or kill the head of a country. When the citizens get riled up and suspect another country, kill the other country’s head. That way they’ll both suspect each other. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195/25 "2013-09-07T14:04:56Z")
If you want to create chaos, don’t take out people’s state leaders, take out their religious ones. Find the three most respected Muslim leaders, off them, bloodshed ensues. Or knock off three prominent Christian leaders. Even if they’re “heart attacks,” people would get suspicious if these three people all died simultaneously, and the ragin’ and killin’ would begin. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195/26 "2013-09-07T14:15:45Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > By that same token, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and Prince William. Although it wouldn’t necessarily cause chaos, the next few years would be very interesting… Elton John would have to write several songs. Interesting. That would be Prince George as King and Prince Harry as Regent! Party time? ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195/27 "2013-09-07T14:30:58Z")
The Koch Brothers and Aliko Dangote ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195/28 "2013-09-07T17:23:51Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > Assad > > Robert Mugabe > > The loss of any one of these would create a power vacuum, and probably open up ethnic division and strife. > > Mohammed Morsi > > If he were to die in mysterious circumstances, the army would be blamed, and there would be massive protests around the country leading to armed intervention, and probably significant retaliatory action. An announcement of a heart attack would be extremely suspicious and would almost certainly be seen as a cover up. I think you’re on the right logic path but it needs to be clarified. If a leader with fanatic followers or rebels was assassinated then that would ramp up the response. Combine the response with the control of weapons as a multiplier. So based on that I would go with Kim Jong Un (North Korea), Asif Ali Zardari (Pakistan), and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Iran) in that order until Iran gets a nuclear weapon. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195/29 "2013-09-08T01:59:17Z")
> [@tim314](#): > > If you really wanted to stir things up, you could announce what you were up to ahead of time. Followed with “And I will continue killing world leaders until [insert crazy demands here]”. Yes. Force multipliers are helpful. Incidentally, the OP’s premise is similar to the plot of [Death](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_note) [Note](http://desunoto.com/), except the protagonist could kill as many as he wanted to, and the author made him ignore the obvious political angle. ETA: Simultaneously taking out the main leaders of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria in a public manner would cause all manner of chaos. Maybe in the middle of an OPEC conference. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195/30 "2013-09-08T02:04:11Z")
How about Castro and the two runners-up in Cuba? I imagine the USA would get pretty tied up in knots trying to decide whether or not to step in to keep the peace, or to stomp anybody else who tried to. Sort of an inverted Missiles of October… ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195/31 "2013-09-08T03:45:44Z")
George R.R. Martin Oprah Jon Stewart / Stephen Colbert (tie) ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195/32 "2013-09-08T05:09:13Z")
Cecil Adams, Barbara and David P. Mikkelson ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195/33 "2013-09-08T14:15:31Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > By that same token, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and Prince William. Although it wouldn’t necessarily cause chaos, the next few years would be very interesting… Elton John would have to write several songs. Wouldn’t have much political effect at all. Prince George would be proclaimed King, Prince Harry would be Regent, as already provided for by law, and the monarchy would continue. Since the monarchy does not have much political power, would just cause a bit of a hiccup. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-deaths-that-would-cause-the-most-chaos/668195.md?page=1)