Some interesting thought, these...
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I would venture that we already are in WW 3 and have been since 1991. The difference is this is one of those cold / hot things.
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This would be a bit reminicent of the wars in the late 16th and early 17th centuries - where armies, to some extent, met on the field of battle almost by accident, then there were months before the next battle.
I really don't think Russia and China care more than lip service for these third worlders.
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you may have a point here, but I think, at least China, has some interest in certain areas beyond lip service. Perhaps Russia does as well, but usually I wouldn't expect them to be common.
At this point in history the interests of all of the great powers seem to coincide. We are basically fighting a feudal system that thrives on the ignorance of its populace and convinces them that blissful ignorance is preferable to western/eastern decadence.
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China is still quite a bit in the feudal mode - except perhaps in the larger cities, where more western influence abounds. So I doubt that it's that simple.
I think it more likely that the blissful ignorance these societies engender is rather an animosity towards western (capitolistic, democratic, whatever they want to be against) ideas.
To them US, Russia, China are the same animal. They just tend to hate us more because we are better at it, and worse yet we offer our culture and the means to achieve it to anyone that wants it. Rest assured Russia and China will catch up, but it will take time.
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We're the same animal because we're 'rich'. Altho it could be argued that China adn Russia aren't quite there yet - but that's why the US is in first place. Of course, the fact that we offer more freedom to achieve, and less gov't control of [b]everything[/b] (or nearly so) is something these Lords of the fief despise and fear as well.