World War III

 Is the world about to change the slogan of the war on terrorism to World War III? Will we hear the drums of war again after 70 years of world peace since the last world war? Is it going to reshape the world map?

Clearly there are different views and scenarios for the world’s major powers that manage crucial decisions on how the situation must end or be controlled in the light of the proliferation of terrorist organizations, their branches and agents around the world, all posing a major threat to everyone. It seems until there is understanding of the beneficiaries of these organizations, the announcement of a new war is inevitable.

Some believe that the shooting down by Turkey of a Russian fighter jet was like pouring oil on fire that created extra tension in the region that may lead to a new war. But I don’t believe in this view, because Turkish foreign policy has had a fixed principle for centuries, whereas Russian ambitions in the region are the greatest threat to Turkey. So Russia and Turkey are in different camps and an international consensus broker is essential, of course. The United States of America is playing this role now.

Even if we assume that this incident hadn’t occurred, the heated conditions are not going to calm down nor peace achieved as long as there is almost an international cover for unknown organizations calling themselves Islamic. But the truth of the matter is that the Islamic religion is innocent. And whether these militants declare themselves moderate, opposition, extreme or by any other name, they are still eyeing a spot in a rich and strategic area like Syria or Iraq, which is a real disaster for us in this region.

Right now there is a state of global alert against IS in the wake of the recent Paris attacks and the downing of a Russian passenger aircraft over Sinai. Turkey seems concerned that the Russian position will increase stiffness in the war on terror, whether it is done with the consent of the US, Saudi Arabia and other countries or not, especially now that Russia has a strong hand in the region and major allies. So events may evolve in the coming days faster than we expect, especially with the elimination of large terrorist organizations such as IS and others. This is not a controversial topic, bearing in mind the possibility of all terror groups uniting together. Interests unite enemies.

This matter does not require a lot of intelligence. Every world war needs a conflict somewhere for the interests of greater powers to create a new world order. And with the large number of terrorist organizations inside Syria, the land is ready.

Even if an alliance is formed now between the great powers to destroy IS, it may result in a conflict between the major powers on how to do so. It appears that both Russia and the United States are holding different views about the way the future of Syria must be shaped and the role of terrorist organizations. It seems clear that Russia finds these organizations a threat to be eliminated, but the United States’ statements do not seem agreeable to this scenario, especially with the US election coming soon.

No country is safe today from the possibility of a world war. Any fighting here could spread to other parts of the world, even to faraway countries such as India, Pakistan or the East China Sea region, for example, especially if China conducts preemptive strikes on US military installations. The US will be forced to respond, and the entire Pacific region will then fall into a quagmire of chaos.

Henry Kissinger, former US national security adviser, said in an interview recently: “The view of World War III appears on the horizon with its two ends, which are the United States on the one hand and China, Russia and Iran on the other”. He added that this war will be a draconian one with one victor – the United States.

That was his point of view. But we are no longer in the era of World War I and II, and in light of the overlapping of ideologies and global pandemonium, I do not think that there will be any victors.

By Muna Al-Fuzai