Do you think we will be forced into another world war in our lifetime?

I don’t think it will happen in the near future but can’t see into the deep future.

My lifetime? Likely not. Yours? Not so sure.

I really don’t think so. The fact that a big war could lead to nuclear war is too horrifying. Smart leaders are good enough not to want that.

If someone like Trump manages to get elected, all bets are off.

Probably not in my lifetime. I’m 72.
Good luck!

I would say the world has been in WW3 since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

No.

I refuse to assume anything. Why? No guarantees either way. That, and shit happens.

Who knows. Too many men in power seem willing to use others to kill people. Not that there hasn’t been powerful women leading countries in times of war, but I think the best chance to avoid wars is women in power.

One of the big questions in my mind related to this is, will we have a draft in the US to fight if we have WWIII.

@JLeslie ”the best chance to avoid wars is women in power.” I like this answer! Now all we need to do is just that, get more women in power!

@RayaHope It won’t be easy in a lot of countries. Russia, Palestinian Territory, Afghanistan, many of the countries in Africa, almost impossible.

@JLeslie I fundamentally disagree. I have seen how women treat each other and it’s just as bad or worse than men who are at odds. They hold long-term grudges. The same personality types that start wars exist in women. It’s not gender exclusive.

I think women can be much more likely to compromise and more open to new ideas. Men tend to be more stubborn and unwilling to show weakness and lose face in front of others.

@Blackwater_Park Women get tired of watching their sons die. They are more open to compromise as @RayaHope said, and they are less likely to have that macho bullshit a lot of men have, especially countries in the Middle East and places like Russia that macho thing is very real.

Supposedly, women helped to end the Irish conflict, I don’t remember what that was called. The IRA bombing places and people. Mothers grew tired of violence.

I do agree some women can hold a grudge, maybe more than men about some things, but they are less geared towards violence and killing. Who is committing most of the murders? Men or women? Something like 85–90% of murders are committed by men.

That’s some of the worst bullshit I have ever heard in my entire life. You think men enjoy war or something? It’s their sons and now daughters.

@Blackwater_Park I think most men certainly do not enjoy it and certainly don’t want their children to die, but enough men, especially powerful men, will send people into war more readily than women in my opinion.

The men starting wars are probably nothing like you.

I still think it’s wrong to assume that women in power will be different when it comes to that. I personally don’t think it’s going to be much if any different. I see powerful women in the corporate world act just as tyrannical and often worse. Same mentality. Not gender specific.

I don’t think any of this is about gender. There are plenty of female hawks in history (Clinton was more hawkish than Trump on policy for example). Ultimately war is about power and resources.

I think climate could push things over the edge. Water scarcity, famine and global overfishing, sea levels rising, and an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters are powerful factors in people becoming refugees, and refugees can lead to political instability, xenophobia and Jingoism.

Climate for sure is going to create big problems. Big migrations are going to happen.

I don’t know if there will be another world war in my lifetime or in your lifetime, but I feel like it’s useless to stress over it. I know I can’t tell you how to feel, and I’m not trying to do that, but for myself, I just try to hope for the best because I (we) have very little control, actually no control, over whether the people in power will push toward a war. Many rich people benefit from wars, like defense contractors.

I don’t think there will be another world war any time soon. I highly recommend the books of Steven Pinker describing the global decline in violence. Over the last 500 years, the world has changed considerably. 500 years ago, punishment of crime included torture, slavery was considered acceptable, corporal punishment in schools was the norm, and women had far fewer rights. the Enlightenment brought about a worldwide change of view.

The world has gotten smaller. We are heavily dependent on global trade. We can communicate worldwide instantaneously. Can you imagine having a war against a country with people you regularly communicate with on the Web?

This is not to say that there are no serious problems. Climate change, overpopulation, automation and pollution all pose serious threats, but I don’t see any of them leading to a world war.

I hope not, nuclear weapons changed the way we think, after Japan.
Hillary is a great example of a powerful female. I certainly wouldn’t call her soft based on her record, she almost always voted for military intervention. She was even known for violent outbursts.
But she also negotiated with China, Iran, Cuba, etc…
My point is that I am not cconvinced a woman would be more or less suited to President based on gender alone. I would enjoy seeing that in my lifetime though.

I think there will be another world war. It will just be fought differently than other wars in the past.

I agree with @RayaHope and @JLeslie. I think the world would be more at peace if women had more political clout. Hopefully less bull shit macho posturing about my bomb is bigger than yours or I’m Billy Bad Ass of the world you’re a wuss nation.

It’s nice to see a man agree with us on this. I think more women in powerful positions with the right men could do wonderful things.

Agreed @RayaHope but don’t hold your breath. Maybe your generation can turn things around. My ass will be in a graveyard.

I mostly agree with @RayaHope, @NoMore, and @JLeslie.
I think the vast majority of women are more peaceful than men.
The vast majority of violence is committed by men.

I’d vote for Elizabeth Warren over Biden or any Republicanazi. ;)
However, I’d vote for Bernie over Marjorie Failure Green or Warrin’ Boebert.

While it is true that history ruled by men is a history of endless war, suffering and oppression, I am not convinced that women would do much better.
In this video about the pervasive corruption inside the Russian military apparatus, it explains that a system that encourages personal enrichment at the expense of all else, necessarily breeds corruption, lying, backstabbing and theft, and will corrupt even those initially setting out with good intentions.

Politics works the same way. You have a system in which most participants feel the best way to attract voters, especially in recent history, is to project strength and belligerence, while at the same time ingratiating themselves to, and making themselves dependent on, corporate donors to secure funding for their campaigns. Anyone entering that space has to compete with these people, and naturally they are encouraged to engage in the same practices, because that is the “proven” way to do things. Naturally it follows that newcomers either already are inclined that way to begin with, or will gradually be corrupted over time, even if they started out idealistic.

It will be no different for women. Politics will either attract women that are already corrupted, like their male counterparts, or they will adopt those same strategies, because they are competing with those types of men.

Just to further redress the women rulers would prevent war issue, I would agree that the average woman is less bellicose than the average man from a statistical standpoint. What I don’t agree with though is that politicians who are women are less bellicose than politicians who are men from a statistical standpoint. It’s kind of like saying that the average woman is more likely to be a good baker than the average man, but if we’re talking about professional bakers, men and women bakers may be roughly equivalent in skills.

I disagree with the “women would be more peaceful than men” hypothesis. Can someone honestly say that Hillary Clinton would have been a peaceful dove?

Female monarchs from the past have participated in empire building. Catherine the Great, Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria all oversaw military expeditions to expand their country’s territory.

”a system that encourages personal enrichment at the expense of all else” THAT is the problem right there! We need to change the system.

I believe in what Theodore Roosevelt said: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”
One mustn’t be afraid to use that stick.

Female leaders in the past were functioning in a man’s world. Naming a woman here and there over long periods of time doesn’t prove much of anything. Let’s see what happens when half the countries in the world have female leaders.

We could argue there is a general trend to be more diplomatic and civilized, even with men in charge. The world today compared to 200 years ago, and especially compared to 500 years ago, is more civilized and less violent, and men continue to be the ones mostly in charge, but there is still room for improvement.

Western countries generally have women in places of power and more equality for women in the general population. It is part of our normal as westernized country for women to have some say, but just imagine when countries that keep women as subservient finally have women treated as equals? How can that not create a change? I guess you could say it was the men who get the credit, because they are finally allowing equality, but women still change the dynamic.

Right now in America gender is not the main problem, it is extremism, and we see it with men and women.

There have been many opinion articles written about the topic over the years.

@KNOWITALL Hillary Clinton was known for violent outbursts? I googled it but can only find right wing sources like Republican Times and NY Post. Do you have a link?

Well, with these current “balloons” mysteriously flying all over the North American continent, it is looking closer and closer everyday! I think I hear those silos warming up from here…

ICBM are passe, Sub launched Cruise missiles that fly at a few hundred feet above ground are the way to go @Dig_Dug ! !

^^ Alrighty then! Now just get the launch codes and we’re in business! Got your key ready? lol