# Who will the next war be against? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 4, 2006, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361 "2006-06-04T07:05:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/1 "2006-06-04T07:05:45Z")
Who’s next? Iran? North Korea? China? Mexico? What will be the next big conflict the US is in after the Iraq War? ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/2 "2006-06-04T07:16:18Z")
Canada. Those damn snowbacks have been taking our jobs for way too long! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/3 "2006-06-04T07:27:02Z")
The next big one will involve China or India or both. The U.S. will not necessarily be involved. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/4 "2006-06-04T07:30:17Z")
And Iraq doesn’t qualify as a big one. ---
**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:** [June 4, 2006, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/5 "2006-06-04T07:42:58Z")
Personally, I’d say that a conflict with upwards of 30,000 civilian deaths counts as a big conflict. [Iraq Index](http://www.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/indexarchive.htm). The odds of a US/Israeli overt airstrike against Iran by March 2007 typically hovers above 20%. [http://www.tradesports.com/aav2/trading/tradingHTML.jsp?evID=37985&eventSelect=37985&updateList=true&showExpired=false](http://www.tradesports.com/aav2/trading/tradingHTML.jsp?evID=37985&eventSelect=37985&updateList=true&showExpired=false) ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/6 "2006-06-04T08:37:13Z")
I think [Hugo Chavez](http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411366/739073) is doing a pretty good job of pissing off Washington. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/7 "2006-06-04T10:17:39Z")
> [@Measure for Measure](#): > > Personally, I’d say that a conflict with upwards of 30,000 civilian deaths counts as a big conflict. Sadly, 30K is barely a blip. More were killed in single - conventional - bombing raids in WW2. More were killed or enslaved when ancient cities were sacked. Single battles in the ancient world often involved many more casualties. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/8 "2006-06-04T14:24:31Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Sadly, 30K is barely a blip. About .000006% of the worlds population. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/9 "2006-06-04T20:10:48Z")
I still say it’s going to be Cuba. Because we can beat them. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/10 "2006-06-04T20:14:46Z")
Weather. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/11 "2006-06-04T21:46:20Z")
The blue states ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/12 "2006-06-04T22:54:57Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I think [Hugo Chavez](http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411366/739073) is doing a pretty good job of pissing off Washington. I think Washington is glad to demonize Chavez to justify a war later down the road. Can’t have all that petroleum sitting in non-US hands, can we? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/13 "2006-06-04T23:03:08Z")
I sure as hell hope the real result is “nobody”. I fear otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/14 "2006-06-04T23:09:44Z")
Whoever it is, they will be brown. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/15 "2006-06-04T23:12:48Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > I think Washington is glad to demonize Chavez to justify a war later down the road. Can’t have all that petroleum sitting in non-US hands, can we? Seems like it wouldn’t take much. He’s using oil money to pay for weapons. Blustering about gearing up for an American invasion. Plus there’s all those drugs. We could always decide to ramp up the War on Drugs. Maybe toss in a possible Al-queda training camp in there somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/16 "2006-06-04T23:45:23Z")
I have a dandy idea, why the US doesn´t go through the whole secession thing again so they can keep waging war against each other and leave the rest of the world alone?.. Why, yes, I´m ranting here; the question “who´s next” rubs me the wrong way. I´m trying to think of a period of more than two years since 1942 where the US hasn´t been on a open, covert or cold state of war with someone. Doesn´t that get tyring? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Batman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@The\_Batman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Batman)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/17 "2006-06-04T23:47:42Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Whoever it is, they will be brown. And crispy after we’re through with them. Hah! I’ll shut up now. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/18 "2006-06-04T23:57:16Z")
> [@Tijuana\_Golds](#): > > And crispy after we’re through with them. Hah! > I’ll shut up now. Not soon enough. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/19 "2006-06-04T23:57:48Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > I have a dandy idea, why the US doesn´t go through the whole secession thing again so they can keep waging war against each other and leave the rest of the world alone?.. > > Why, yes, I´m ranting here; the question “who´s next” rubs me the wrong way. > I´m trying to think of a period of more than two years since 1942 where the US hasn´t been on a open, covert or cold state of war with someone. Doesn´t that get tyring? It does and I hate it. If it means anything, I apologizing for being such a dick on a worldwide level. For a nation of peace, we’ve spent a lot of time messing with the Art of War. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361/20 "2006-06-05T01:05:22Z")
Chances are, what ever conflict will be in, will have started long before we officially get into it. We’re the world police. So everybody play nice, or else. :dubious: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-the-next-war-be-against/359361.md?page=2)