Published on September 8, 2024, 12:31 am

Major worldwide conflicts, such as World War I and II, typically commence with single significant incidences referred to as flashpoints. The spark that instigated the Great War – World War I was the murder of an Eastern European noble — Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, by a Bosnian Serb student. As for World War II, Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in 1931 is argued to have laid its foundations while Hitler’s and Stalin’s intrusion into Poland marked the beginning in Europe. For America, the flashpoint was undeniably Pearl Harbor.

Considering this pattern begs the alarming question: Could there be a happening that triggers a third world war? This inquiry was recently addressed on Fox Business by retired four-star General Jack Keane.

According to Keane, America is currently navigating uncharted territory reminiscent of the pre-world war era— heightening fears of a pending World War III. The former senior strategic analyst for Fox News aired these views amid growing discord in areas such as the Middle East and Europe and rising tension in the Pacific — circumstances echoing former President Trump’s warning that America is inching towards “World War III territory.”

When assessing recent comments about conflicts possibly accelerating into another global war, Keane chose neutrality, stating he preferred not to influence voters but acknowledged that a recent congressional commission review on national defense strategy under Biden’s administration revealed one sobering fact; the threat of another major war looms ever so real.

The perspective Gen. Keane shares on how international leadership perceives American authority resonates globally, largely because it exposes how actors worldwide view America — weak and ineffective— allowing them space to manipulate international affairs.

Keane expressively illustrated how adversarial behavior towards U.S has changed between Biden’s and Trump’s tenure. He highlighted an emerging worrying trend where U.S enemies like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are increasingly cooperating against perceived American weakness.

According to Gen. Keane, the prevalent global turbulence is far from incidental. He voiced valid apprehension over escalating discordance in Europe (evidenced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine) and rising tensions in the Middle East as Iran poises to destabilize Israel for its interests and ultimately remove U.S influence from the region.

Additionally, he raised concerns over escalating aggressiveness from China under President Xi’s regime. By echoing a commission’s conclusion that we are living in an era paralleling World War II events, Keane sounded a warning alarm on what might be looming ahead.

As such, identifying which flashpoints would spiral into another global war is crucial – tipping the scales could likely involve Russia, China, Iran, and perhaps even North Korea against America and presumably remaining NATO powers. In this setup, Japan, Australia, Philippines would likely rally behind the United States against its adversaries.

In predicting the genesis of a potential conflict one has to consider that hasty acts are often executed by most irrational actors. This consideration puts Iran or North Korea at the top of potentials for sparking global warfare due to their history of recklessness and instability. It’s less likely that Russia or China would upfront start large-scale conflicts given Russia’s current involvement with Ukraine and limitations regarding China military prowess projection despite owning numerous ships.

The path leading to world conflict may become all too real should Iran acquire nuclear power – crossing a line unseen since 1945 potentially through lighting up a nuke either in Haifa or New York making it graver and more immediate than ever before.

Therefore it becomes crucially important to keep watch on least stable players like Iran anticipating rational decisions while keeping prominent strategist von Clausewitz’s prophetic words in mind: “Only the dead have seen the end of war.” The reality of our current state echoed with Gen. Keane’s caution can serve as an informative tool contributing to robust action mitigating risks associated with emerging threats globally – keeping trusted news from a Christian worldview at the forefront.