World War II and its predecessor WW I (the War to End All Wars) would be considered regional skirmishes by comparison to Global Conflict III or aptly referred to as the AI War – Apocalyptic Inferno or just Apocalypse by some. Much like the aforementioned wars of the previous century, this one caught most unaware as minor conflicts began seemingly without major significance in the Eurasian region. Of course, these conflicts would escalate to encompass the entire world and unlike WW’s I and II, result in death and destruction on every continent on a scale never seen or imagined prior.

As the only major world military and economic power entering the 21st

century (arguably especially with respect to economic power), the decline in responsible US leadership, constant internal struggles and massive national and local corruption played a significant role in the all-encompassing destructive conflict which began a quarter century into the new millennium lasting a decade and which would consume well over a billion lives not to mention destroying a good part of the world’s ecological system. As the world’s longest lasting democratic government system, the United States began systematically eroding its constitution which had been its foundation. This had a significant impact on its people and the manner in which the nation interacted with the rest of the world. The on-going internal political, race, gender, generational and culture conflicts along with its declining infrastructure, faultering national educational system and loss of influence globally contributed crucially to the rise of global instability and the apocalyptical war that was to follow.

The factors in the decline of US significance can be likened to that of the Roman Empire centuries before:

• poor leaders, leadership & policy
• economic failures and increasing reliance on cheap immigrant labor
• lack of necessary assimilation by various groups immigrating to the country resulting in internal strife/conflict
• over expansion requiring massive military expenditures
• civil and political instability coupled with government corruption
• loss of traditional national values which in-turn led to a loss of self-identity and…
• the rise of external global forces

In any case, one can make the argument that by the very late 20th and early 21st century, the United States as a nation was on life-support leading up to the war which reduced its focus as a globalizing stable force with its partners around the world. This, both directly and indirectly along with other global events, gave rise to the factors culminating in the greatest and most destructive war this world has ever known.

Adiuva me verterem figuram mundi