New alliances, escalation, prelude to WAR.

 SIMILAR TO WW1 ALLIANCES, EXCEPT NOW NUCLEAR

NO SIGNS OF DE-ESCALATION

Of course we have all witnessed the expansion of the NATO alliance from 12 members during the cold war to now 30, an alliance that some believe had lost its purpose. For 70 years it was an alliance with little risk. Then after the break-up of the Soviet Union we saw this alliance used for intervention in the Middle East, North Africa and anywhere that its members could be enticed to support U.S. intervention. Now the era of little risk is over and with the attempt to expand NATO into Ukraine and Georgia the world is becoming a very dangerous place.

Not only has NATO expanded to include most of Europe with Russia the supposed enemy, it is now expanding to include Asia with China the designated enemy. While so far, Europeans are reluctant to join into an alliances that makes China their enemy, such alliances are proceeding at a very fast rate.

We have seen the U.S. enlisting Japan, Australia, South Korea and the Phillipines to sign onto a military alliance in an attempt to contain China. We have seen China now using economic retaliation against Japan and some nations in western Europe notably Germany. We  now see North Korea enabled with the addition of ICBM missiles that can reach every nation on earth. Now that overt threats against China and Russia have become the everyday narrative, they are preparing for total war as never before.

While these nations are preparing for war, much of the rest of world is now caught in the dilemma of choosing sides. Most would simply just like to go about the business of being independent non militarized counties. They would rather be focused on economic progress and hoping to improve the lives of their citizens. They are constantly under pressure to choose sides or be the subject of economic and even violent unrest in their country. This situation is not unlike the prelude to WW1 but much more comprehensive and dangerous. It truly does include the whole world and it is compounded by the ability of the leading opponents to destroy the world as we know it.

The escalation goes on, it is a daily narrative. There seems to be no attempt at stopping this madness. Any attempt to deescalate is either a sign of weakness or traitorous. Much of it has to do with hubris and a desire to rule the world. Only an intervention by some of the allies, and serious political leaders at home to say enough, will offer any hope of ending this rush to disaster.