What Would Start WW3?

In this day and age its possible it could be about anything. really.

i think what is the most likely to cause WWIII would be

1. Religion
2. Money (lack of - crime goes thru the roof, marshal law in place etc)
3. Oil

Some will say that it started because of religion, some will say that it started because of oil, but that’s always just a casus belli.
I am very unsure about religion. There are a very lot of people in the world who don’t actually care about religious differences, just open the world atlas. Of course, once again this is an easy “casus belli”
As for oil, it certainly is possible, but once the pollution situation gets critical (when the US and perhaps Russia feel it on their very own skin) they will look for alternatives, putting oil out of the picture. According to rather precise estimates, in 25 years, 20% of the world’s whole GDP will reside in eco-industry. I personally find this interesting.
Today people like to forget Russia. I’m no friend of theirs, but not taking them into consideration is a serious mistake of overconfidence. Ever since Napoleon they have been a European power, no matter what we want to think. And the collapse of the USSR was 20 years ago now! Sure, they’ve been dormant in the past years, in sleeping mode. But in the background they’ve been working, growing, and so on. They’re not going to shout out their economic/technological/etc successes to the world, just keep it for themselves. That’s why they don’t get much news coverage, and that’s why people don’t even take them into consideration. And I don’t want to see them when they “awaken”.

Computers and artifical inteligence ;D (guess i watched too many movies huh)
Actually computers or machines probably wouldnt kick off a war because they wouldnt have a hidden motive which seems to be the normal case.
If your thinking of something for a storyline make the war start over something trivial but vital in the public eye, but with a dirty secret behind it ie. money, religion, power or whatever that way you always leave openings for twists and turns for your story.

Historically, Religion or ethnic intollerance seems to be the main factor IMO.

When mixed with a social dependence you have a real potential problem. For instance, Iraq is really over Oil - the stability of the region. If Oil stopped flowing out of the middle east, social collapse would happen as we would have no affordable alternative - no affordable oil, means no heating, petrol (gas) etc. which leads to social problems.

IMO, After Oil, the next major issues wil be over South Africa. SA has the worlds highest deposits of minerals. The minerals are key to the manufacture of high tech items. Currently the Chinese are helping African countries (with high mineral deposits) build infrastructures - roads, raailways, schools, hospitals etc etc. In return for the rights of mining and exporting the minerals.

Whilst we are still worried about Oil, the Chinese have already moved onto the next issue and are actually doing a lot of investment - Billions and Billions of dollars worth, to ensure that they have access and the rights to the highest deposits of minerals.

So, we have the third world debt which we wont write off and then you have the Chinese investing heavily. You can see where alliances will be made.

So in summary, whilst historically it was race, religion. We will see that it will now come to natural resources and I wouldnt be surprised if its this that triggers the next WW.

Maybe some of the above is useful for expansion for your idea.

I reiterate it: space. You may not think it necessary now, but the world’s population grows at an exponentially faster rate. Looking at the sprawling metropolis we have now, imagine how it will be in thirty years? In fifty? China, India and other such countries will get overpopulated and movements will become larger and larger to “expand”, to redistribute this population issue over a larger area. Therefore, space will eventually become a trigger for war.

I believe religion, while it may not be the sole reason, will always be a factor in the equation. Remember, the world is complex; a war usually doesn’t come from a single issue, but from an accumulation of many.

@BBalazs: You make it sound like Russia is a dormant superpower; I doubt it. Balance of power changes and often never comes back. France, at one point, was the number one superpower; then came the UK, now the US. Long ago, Persia was the superpower. Macedonia. Rome. Greece. Egypt. Are they still there? Some, yes; others no. Do they still have the potential to “awaken”? No.

Well, being a citizen of an ex-eastern block country, I am anything BUT a supporter of that eastern cousin. No way am I going to like them to be honest.

But truth is, I have access to a good deal of information, particularly as a student of economics; and these data don’t look like a downwards spiral, or a “stagnating down there” syndrome. When I was a kid I saw how these post-socialist countries scrambled to their feet out of nothing. And if a small country, like my home, could do it in a mere 20 years time I doubt Russia would have difficulties doing so.
France was only a worthy power under the leadership of a doubtless smart man and his military maneuvers. But France is a completely different case. I’d say go for having a look at that map again - those empty wastelands are one of the world’s richest mineral deposits.
The way everyone sees things around himself is driven by stereotypes and the information he is provided. This is called limited rationality. Like I said I don’t like the Russians; but I have access to some national and international statistics that proved me that they never really lost their power; do France, Macedonia, Greece, Egypt and their cousins have the power to “awaken”? No. But these all lost their strength. These guys did not. They just want to make everyone think they did - and be that infamous “surprise card” in the hand of history.

Resources -  in all their various forms. Additionally there is the current race to claim territory on the moon since the discovery of Helium - 3.
Space - with the creation of craft capable of exiting and entering the atmosphere on their own power without the need of multistage rocket boosters, it is but a matter of time before we begin arming said craft.
Science - with recent advances in organic circuitry, prosthetic arms/legs that exceed our own in strength, genetic enhancements and cloning. The possibilities are obvious.
Weaponry - EMP devices = take out a countries communications, financial networks and about 80% of the infrastructure; reconnaissance and combat UAV’s = with the loss of troops no longer a concern, a “scorched earth” policy will likely become the norm.

big stupidity would start it

Affirmative! ;D

@Alfa:

Me and my team are trying to come up with a story for our game. Well…we’re stuck on the story. Right now we need the start for it, which is, “How would WWIII start?”

We thought of religion with the Hadron Collider, but obviously that wouldn’t work. So then I thought of oil. That wouldn’t work either. So, that’s why I’m now coming to y’all to see if y’all can helps us out. Any ideas would be great. Thanks in advanced.

Chuck Norris would start WW3.