Third World War

An event considered to have been narrowly avoided during the first quarter of the 21st century. Anti-American sentiments were running extremely high all over the world, and during the near collapse of the United States, China was investing heavily in its military power. It is believed that much of Latin America and the Islamic world would have joined China in a declaration of war. Economic ties were far less critical than they once were, and were not an insurmountable barrier to conflict.

With potential combatants for each side on both continents, the idea of a final blow to the US and her allies was no doubt a tempting one. There is no doubt that it would be compared to World War Two the same way it was compared to the 'Great War' - the previous conflict being legitimately argued as just an unusually large-scale conflict, since some continents did not experience fighting.

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Several factors seemed critical in China's decision to avoid committing its military and force America to respond.

1. Though crippled, America's navy and air force were still considered to be the finest in the world, even at their low point.
2. After an extended period of hardship, civilian sentiments in the United States were quite strong, and not nearly so apathetic.
3. America still had allies, and an attack on the United States proper would be mandatory in order to disrupt its productive potential.

All of this may have been overlooked but for the dramatic resurgance of the US economy under new policies. They were quite dramatic in scope, and the re-industrialization of the country took much of the world by surprise. Within a decade, the United States was clearly at the top of the world again, while China was reeling from massive desertification and other environmental catastrophes.