It is impossible to predict which country, if any, will start a potential World War 3, as such a conflict has not happened and forecasting is highly uncertain. Geopolitical analysts point to several regions and ongoing tensions as potential flashpoints that could escalate into a wider conflict involving major global powers like the United States, Russia, and China.
The United States is deemed very likely to be part of WW3, as it is still recognized as the largest superpower in the world.
The U.S. is central due to its superpower status and global military reach. Likely allies include NATO members, especially those in Europe close to Russia, and Asia-Pacific partners like Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines.
It is widely predicted that such a war would involve all of the great powers, like its two predecessors, and the use of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction, thereby surpassing all prior conflicts in scale, devastation, and loss of life. Nuclear warfare is often the focus of a World War III scenario.
Iceland. Ranked number one since 2008, Iceland remains the world's most peaceful nation, leading across all three domains: safety and security, ongoing conflict and militarisation.
“Doomsday Prepping”
Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world in 2021, a position it has held since 2008. It is joined at the top of the index by New Zealand, Denmark, Portugal, and Slovenia.
“I don't know what weapons World War III will be fought with, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” It's always an advantage in any philosophical debate to have the last word.
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Iceland. Iceland's geographical isolation in the North Atlantic makes it one of the safest countries in World War 3 scenarios. It's politically neutral, avoiding military alliances. Iceland is self-sufficient in renewable energy, utilising geothermal and hydroelectric power.
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Support for Russia in the Russian invasion of Ukraine has come from countries such as Belarus, North Korea, China, and Iran.
Analysts disagree as to whether a period of global tension analogous to the Cold War is possible in the future, while others, like Carnegie Moscow Center director Dmitri Trenin, used the term to describe the ongoing renewed tensions and hostilities that rose dramatically in 2014 between Russia and the West.
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Other remote or insulated countries on the list include Chile, Iceland, Fiji, and Tuvalu—nations with minimal military entanglements and located far from major geopolitical hotspots. Interestingly, Greenland (part of Denmark) also appears, thanks to its remoteness and sparse population.
There is no way of knowing how much warning time there would be before an attack by a terrorist using a nuclear or radiological weapon. A surprise attack remains a possibility.
A basic emergency supply kit could include the following recommended items:
Hungarian refugees Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, and Edward Teller persuaded Einstein to warn President Franklin D. Roosevelt about the possibility that Germany could develop an atomic bomb, and to urge FDR to consider a similar program in the United States.
Albert Einstein is often quoted as having said: "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones".
Global Conflict Tracker | CFR Interactives
Yes Australia and New Zealand both are aligned with the West and will probably be active participants, but their geographic isolation makes any invasion incredibly difficult and any attacks would probably be limited to missile attacks on military facilities, particularly against US interests in those countries.