When you read the history of WWI and WWII no one put up a notice "World War starting, everyone invited"; they started with an incident, a spark, that started the thing small and events conspired to make them become the monsters they were, engulfing the world in flames. (wow, was that a run-on sentence of what??)

I believe historians will see the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq as the start of WWIII, sparked by 9-11, which in turn was caused by the cultural and religious clash between the middle east and the west. I think that we will see more moslems countries turn into theocracies and destabilize; a new prophet will rise and we will have a general war: Moslem vs. the West.

Oh, we would win... no questions, but at what cost and what consequences economically, socially, etc.?

I may be pessimistice, but I don't think events will prove me far off.