Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Whether or not the government shuts down in a week, the nation is confronted with a series of potentially explosive and very dangerous crises. Consider three of the most threatening that have taken years to metastasize.
In 2014, without any advance warning, the Obama administration announced a "pivot" to Asia. Allies were scared and shocked. China was outraged. And the national security apparatus adjusted.
One of the results that evolved over the ensuing decade was the construct for waging a war, should one break out, with China. The profound flaw, however, is that this planning has disregarded the two most likely outcomes of major war with China: The war could escalate to the use of thermonuclear and nuclear weapons.
This distinction is important. A thermonuclear weapon has 1,000 times the destructive power of the atom-bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The consequence would be the evisceration of both states and probably many more.
War, however could become protracted. For many reasons, the United States cannot fight a long war against another superpower. Producing the sinews of war takes years -- nine for a nuclear submarine; at least two for anti-aircraft missiles and more for F-35's. Likewise, ammunition stockpiles needed for a long war will require hundreds of billions of dollars spent now and full production will take years. Either outcome is disastrous.
