Ever since the dawn of civilisation, mankind has been enveloped in one war after another. From the time of the Roman Empire when King Arthur summoned his knights to stand up against the Saxon invasion of Britain to the US-led invasion of Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq in 2003, millions of precious and innocent lives have been lost.
Throughout those thousands of years, the function of a war has remained the same – either to conquer new territories or to maintain one’s stranglehold on power. The only thing that has changed, perhaps, is the types of weapons in use. Back then, we fought using swords and shields; now we have nuclear bombs.
As technology has developed ever so rapidly over the years, a single bomb can now kill up to a million people. And now, we don’t even have to be physically present in a battlefield. Everything can be remote controlled – from fighter drones to missile attacks.
However, the repercussions of a war are extreme. That’s why we haven’t seen a full-scale, all-out war for quite some time. Governments now think twice before launching any attacks as a war would inadvertently lead to a weak and unstable economy for any given country, besides causing all sorts of social havoc and political turmoil.
Then, there are all sorts of atrocities during wartime such as torture and abuse. As such, I believe none of us would want a full-scale war to break out anytime soon, would we? But for those who live in war ‘hotspots’, they never know when a war might break out. And when a war might claim their lives.
Here, allow me to examine three such war ‘hotspots’ which are most susceptible to not just any war, but a big war from breaking out in the near future.
North Korea
This is the last communist dynasty in the world. It is also one of the poorest countries around, and thousands of its people die of famine each year. However, the government of North Korea doesn’t seem to care much about the plight of its people as it is busy chasing after its own dream – perfecting a nuclear weapon that.
Nuclear reactor in Pyongyang
Apart from neglecting the welfare of its people, the North has a volatile relationship with South Korea. Tensions are running high between the two nations especially after the recent sinking of a South Korean warship and a war looks like a glaring possibility.
One wrong foot put by either government could lead the people of both countries to endless amount of suffering. This is because a nuclear war would ensue and matters would only get more complicated when the U.S. steps in and joins the party.
Iran
They have a similar agenda to North Korea. At least that’s what the U.S. claim. Iran has made no secret of its nuclear ambitions, but has always maintained that it is only for civilian purposes. The U.S., of course, think that there is a hidden agenda, an ulterior motive.
The 'Revolutionary Guards' of Iran
However, the good thing is that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon as of yet. But analysts have not ruled out an attack by the U.S. on them if all diplomatic avenues to halt their nuclear program are exhausted and the United Nations-backed economic sanctions levelled at them bear no fruit.
When and if the U.S. does indeed launch an attack, Iran won’t just sit still and watch. They would strike back. Hard. The Revolutionary Guards (Iran’s army) are known to be a well-organised unit and sooner rather than later, the whole of the Arab world could be dragged into a regional conflict.
Israel
They have been ruthlessly subjecting the people of Palestine to years of torment now, so it would hardly come as a surprise if the Muslim nations of the Arab world such as Syria, Lebanon and Iran stand up for their brethren and gain revenge by taking matters into their own hands.
Israeli tank in action
Besides, Israel has been causing all sorts of other problems for the Muslim nations too. A few years ago, the President of Iran, Mahmood Ahmadinejad, had even famously said that “Israel would be wiped-off the world map”. Now, that’s a powerful statement from a powerful man.
The worst part is that if Iran and the others do really attack Israel on an all-out basis, the damage done would be enormous. Why so? Because Israel is a nuclear-state and its number one ally is – you guessed it right – the U.S. Oh gosh!
In a nutshell
Wars cause a whole lot of collateral damage, but none as bad as taking away the lives of innocent people. As we can see, errant governments who put their personal interests ahead of that of their people are the ones who would most likely cause a war to start.
Even if war becomes a necessity, I feel that the use of nuclear weapons in particular should be a no-no to minimise the effects of the war on the general populace. And probably it’s about time the U.S. stopped poking its noses into people’s businesses as usually when there is a war, the U.S. is somehow or another involved.
Where do you think the next 'big' war could break out? What is your take on war? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
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