First China warns of war with Japan, now India warns of tossing nukes back and forth with Pakistan. Hmm. Perhaps that whole “how will the environment *possibly* survive the teeming billions of India and China attaining vastly greater living standards” problem may be resolved soon. Or maybe it’s just the usual saber-rattling for political effect.
India warns of nuclear threat to Kashmir
OFFICIALS in India-controlled Kashmir are warning people to build bomb-proof basements, store enough food and water for two weeks and be prepared for a possible nuclear war.
An all-out nuclear war between the Indians and the Pakis would be a firecracker compared to old-school USA-USSR global thermonuclear war, but it would still raise hell outside of their borders. You’d have all the radioactive crap chucked into the atmosphere, a bunch of which would probably come down on China. Then there’d be all the smoke which would reduce insolation and lower global temperature, competing with all the new CO2 trying to raise it (I’d guess the cooling effect would win). Then there’d be the billion or so Indian/Paki refugees trying to get somewhere else (maybe 100, 200 million make it to the EU – *that* would be fun to watch); then there’d be their neighbors and downwinders freaking out. Then there’d be not-immediately-related wars popping off… I’d bet the Middle East would burst into flames overnight. Then there’d be the global economic collapse. And the worry about, in the confusion, did anybody misplace a nuke? Not to mention the possibility that a nuke might get shot in the wrong direction or overshoot (I could see Afghanistan catching an errant nuke; Iran, less likely unless the Pakis launch one 180-degress off-axis). The Chinese catch a nuke or their systems get fried by an EMP, and someone decides to pull the trigger on Russia, Taiwan or Japan.
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A Pan-Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere Internal Nuclear War would make for some dandy sunsets. Just keep the nukings to yourselves, ok, fellas? The US has enough trouble right now without getting sucked into another dreary world war.