The Third World War

Does the current situation with Iran have the potential to explode into the next world war, the war-to-really-end-all-wars? I think it does. To quantify the potentially disastorous effects of a war like this, let's examine the actors that could become involved. The United States has hundreds of thousands of ground troops surrounding Iran due to other War on Terrorism efforts. There will be no way for a war to start without the US being inolved. They are also the largest military and economic power in the world. They also have the second largest nuclear arsenal in the world. The biggest belongs to Russia. Russia will be involved because they are cooperating with Iran on their controversial nuclear program. Another potential is Russia's cold war collaborator, China. China is developing and in need of oil from countries like Iran. They also have a nuclear arsenal of their own. Three more nuclear countries will be affected by proximity, if for no other reason. Pakistan, India, and Israel are all close enough to be affected by any large scale war in the region. Israel should be especially concerned because Iran has announced it would be the first target for any acts of retaliation. The big issues in a conflict with these nations will also encompass several major issues that demand global attention. The first is oil, probably the world's most critical natural resource. Iran has a lot. The next issue is nuclear weaponry. It hasn't been used since 1945, but technology has advanced quite a bit since then, and Iran's reactors may be the itch that causes countries to twitch their trigger fingers. Additionally, the issue of global terrorism and the emerging Islam vs Infidels paradigm may drag in a horde of other actors.