War could break out at any moment in these places. Stay Tuned

The information in this thread is about so called "International Flashpoints". A flashpoint is a place of great tension between two or more nations where things are so sensative that even the slightest provocation could erupt into a full blown war. Thee inspiration of this thread is from the days events:

www.abovetopsecret.com...
Palestinian militants kill two IDF soldiers near Gaza border

www.abovetopsecret.com...
Sinking S. Korean Navy Ship 104 onboard, suspect N. Korea Torpedo or mine

www.abovetopsecret.com...
Naval battle between UAE and Saudi Arabia raises fears for Gulf security

All 3 events took place at Flashpoints. Below is a list and a short explanation of Flashpoints all over the world.

International Flashpoints:

Taiwan Strait:
en.wikipedia.org...

1949, with the Chinese Civil War turning decisively in the Communists' (CPC) favour, the ROC government led by the Kuomintang (KMT) retreated to Taipei, in Taiwan, while the CPC proclaimed the PRC government in Beijing. Since then, the relations between mainland China and Taiwan have been characterised by non-contact and animosity.

Korean Peninsula:
en.wikipedia.org...

an armistice that restored the border between the Koreas at the 38th Parallel and created the Korean Demilitarized Zone, a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) wide buffer zone between the two Koreas. North Korea unilaterally withdrew from the armistice on May 27, 2009, thus returning to a de jure state of war.

Kashmir:
en.wikipedia.org...

The Kashmir conflict refers to the territorial dispute over Kashmir, the northwesternmost region of South Asia. The parties to the dispute are India, Pakistan, China and the people of Kashmir

Spratly Islands:
en.wikipedia.org...

The Spratly Islands are a group of more than 750 reefs,[2] islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South China Sea between the Philippines, China, Malaysia, Brunei, and Vietnam. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

Israel:
en.wikipedia.org...
en.wikipedia.org...
en.wikipedia.org...
en.wikipedia.org...
en.wikipedia.org...
Israel has way too many flashpoints. Golan Heights-Syria; Sheebaa Farms - Lebanon/hezbollah; Gaza Strip - Hamas/Palestinians; West Bank - Fatah/Palestinians; and The mother of all flashpoints (debatable) Jerusalem - Judea/Islam/Christianity.

Aegean Sea:
en.wikipedia.org...

refers to a set of interrelated controversial issues between Greece and Turkey over sovereignty and related rights in the area of the Aegean Sea. This set of conflicts has had a large effect on Greek-Turkish relations since the 1970s. It has twice led to crises coming close to the outbreak of military hostilities, in 1987 and in early 1996.

Cyprus:
en.wikipedia.org...

The Republic of Cyprus has de jure sovereignty over the entire island of Cyprus and its surrounding waters except small portions that are allocated by treaty to the United Kingdom as sovereign military bases. The Republic of Cyprus is de facto partitioned into two main parts, the area under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus, comprising about 59% of the island's area and the Turkish-occupied area in the north,[25] calling itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, covering about 37% of the island's area and recognized only by Turkey

Arctic:
en.wikipedia.org...

Under international law, no country currently owns the North Pole or the region of the Arctic Ocean surrounding it. The five surrounding Arctic states, Russia, the United States (via Alaska), Canada, Norway and Denmark (via Greenland), are limited to an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) adjacent to their coasts.

Nagorno-Karabakh
en.wikipedia.org...

Most of the region is governed by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, an unrecognized, de facto independent state established on the basis of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast within the Azerbaijan SSR of the Soviet Union. The territory is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, which has not exercised power over most of the region since 1991. Since the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994, representatives of the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group on the region's status.

Caucasus:
en.wikipedia.org...

Following the end of the Soviet Union, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia became independent in 1991. The Caucasus region is subject to various territorial disputes since the collapse of the Soviet Union, leading to the Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988–1994), the Ossetian-Ingush conflict (1989-1991), the War in Abkhazia (1992–1993), the First Chechen War (1994–1996), the Second Chechen War (1999–2009), and the 2008 South Ossetia War.

Shatt al-Arab:
en.wikipedia.org...

Conflicting territorial claims and disputes over navigation rights between Iran and Iraq were among the main factors for the Iraq-Iran War that lasted from 1980 to 1988, when the pre-1980 status quo was restored. On two separate occasions, Iranian forces operating on the Shatt al-Arab have captured British Royal Navy sailors who they claim have trespassed into their territory.

Strait of Hormuz:
en.wikipedia.org...

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, an average of about 15 tankers carrying 16.5 to 17 million barrels of crude oil normally pass through the strait every day, making it one of the world's most strategically important choke points. This represents 40% of the world's seaborne oil shipments, and 20% of all world shipments

Preah Vihear Temple:
en.wikipedia.org...

The Cambodian-Thai stand-off between Cambodia and Thailand began in June 2008 as the latest round of a century-long dispute involving the area surrounding the 11th-century Preah Vihear Temple, located between the Kantharalak district (amphoe) in the Sisaket province of Northeastern Thailand and the Choam Khsant district in the Preah Vihear province of northern Cambodia.

Columbian-Venezuelan Border:
en.wikipedia.org...

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez moved troops to near the border with Colombia, warning that a Colombian incursion into Venezuela would be a "cause for war". Chávez announced that he had put the Venezuelan military on high alert.

Gulf of Aden:
en.wikipedia.org...
Piracy in the waters, And Islamic Fundies on both sides of the Gulf Make it a flashpoint. Yemen and Somalia are two of the poorest countries in the region.

Transnistria:
en.wikipedia.org...

Transnistria is a de facto independent state. The modern Republic of Moldova does not recognize the secession and considers territories controlled by the PMR to be a part of Moldova's sovereign territory. Transnistria's sovereignty is not recognized by any member of the United Nations and it has no official diplomatic relations with any of those states

Balkans:
en.wikipedia.org...
en.wikipedia.org...

War in Slovenia (1991) Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995)
Bosnian War (1992-1995) Kosovo War (1998-1999)

Its a crazy day in the world today, Flashpoints thew orld over are gettin hot. Stay tuned to this thread as developments arise.

[edit on 26-3-2010 by TheCoffinman]

[edit on 26-3-2010 by TheCoffinman]

Beat me to it. S&F though I believe your prediction has to be true theres too much going on. Who`s the one with the tricky finger on the switch who will press first.? The could be WWIII and ended as quick as it began.

very good post
laid out very well
and very informative

S&F 4 U

gotta sit down and digest all this
oh crap, where's my Tums???

After the world war the remaining people will move to Israel where they will be safe.

Could that be a possability? I'm not a Christian, Jew or Muslim so it doesn't have anything to do with religion but could Israel really have some special meaning?

I seriously doubt anything will happen any time soon, so why worry.

One of the most crucial places can flare any moment:

BALKAN

Kosovo, Serbia, Kroatia is still a hotspot. Place of three religions and many wars just few years ago and still under warnigs of new escalations.

reply to post by JanusFIN


yeah i was a tad reluctant to inclue the balkans, i am well aware of the history and the only reason why i didnt include it was the stability recently. but your right.. i am going to include it now.

Originally posted by Misoir
After the world war the remaining people will move to Israel where they will be safe.

Could that be a possability? I'm not a Christian, Jew or Muslim so it doesn't have anything to do with religion but could Israel really have some special meaning?

Correct - it has nothing at all to do with "religion".

But it has everything to do with the antichrist and Jesus.

And yes, Israel will be the safest place on the planet - but only if you are on Team Jesus.

And just an end spoiler - no one beats Israel. And yes, it will appear to everyone that they are going to be pulverized....... but Jesus steps in. And it's all over but the shouting.

reply to post by andy1033


Youre one of those that binned their TV sets, radios and internet arent ya but stick with your phone?
The world as it is, is at breaking point mate. Quite literally too. WE have destroyed this planet and exhausted its life, we are a cancer that has conflicts with each other, that has a negative effect on the planet. You did say "anything" didnt you? This planet is broken. It needs fixed.
WWIII is on the cards if the way we continue cant change. If it was to start then everything in one way or another will change. There will be a domino effect where everything escalates in what would seem a perfectly orchestrated event. Im talking Extinction Level Event.
The way things are in Israel etc could be potentially start something on an unpresidented level. Then theres the situation with China, i mean come on?

Well youve picked them out, besides Antartica?

I am sure a lot may find new information and awareness so S+F, if anyone is further interested in a very volatile flashpoint, as in Russia & USA by proxy there is more here:Georgia-Poland-Russia ATS Superthread (resource)


Need to update it but lots of further research for anyone interested.

Thanks OP

Elf

reply to post by MischeviousElf


I have georgia covered via the caucasus however i dont find poland to be that much of a flashpoint. kaliningrad could be but not at the moment. the missle shield wont be up until 2020 and even then, they arent necc. flashpoints unless they continued to build up forces opposing one another..

but yes, georgia via abkhazia and south ossetia are covered in the caucasus portion of the thread

If any of these conflicts turns bad the economies of the world will be severely affected and it may be enough to put us into the second dip of a double dip recession.

www.google.com...

A senior Cambodian army official said Wednesday his troops have killed at least 88 Thai soldiers over the past two years in clashes near an ancient temple on a disputed frontier.

General Chea Tara, a Cambodian deputy commander-in-chief who oversees military operations in the area near the Preah Vihear temple, said that 38 Thai soldiers were killed in October 2008 and another 50 in April 2009.

"We helped them to find the bodies but they still hide the figure," he said at a briefing of government officials and lawmakers about developments in the border spat. He said only two Cambodian soldiers were killed in the clashes.

The Thai military has previously said that only three of its soldiers were killed in the 2009 gunbattle. Thai army spokesman Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd denied the new claims.

"The information is not true. If that many Thai soldiers were killed, it would have been big news since then," he told AFP.

Chea Tara said that soldiers on both sides have remained on "high alert", but added that the situation near the temple was now quiet.

www.time.com...

The Coming China-India Conflict: Is War Inevitable?

It wouldn't first be open war. China and India are building up their interests in conflict-prone and unstable states on their borders like Nepal and Burma — important sources of natural resources. If something goes wrong in these countries — if the politics implode — you could see the emergence of proxy wars in Asia. Distrust between India and China will grow and so too security concerns in a number of arenas. It's an important scenario that strategic planners in both Beijing and Delhi are looking at.

beta.thehindu.com...

Russia will help Vietnam build a submarine base and provide other military assistance, the Russian defence minister said on Thursday.

Russian news agencies quoted Anatoly Serdyukov as saying that Vietnam needs the base for the six diesel—electric submarines it has ordered from Russia.

In addition to the six submarines, Hanoi has ordered frigates, missile boats and Su—30 fighter jets. The big purchases come amid tensions between Vietnam and China over the Spratly and Paracel islands in the South China Sea.

[edit on 26-3-2010 by TheCoffinman]

news.am...

On the night of March 26, as well as during this day, Azerbaijani troops violated the cease-fire on the contact line between the Azerbaijani and Nagorno-Karabakh armed forces.

The NKR Ministry of Defense reported that the Azerbaijani side opened fired, including sniper fire, at the Armenian troops’ positions in Korgan, Kuropatkino, Seysulan, Levonarkh and other settlements.

The NKR troops opened retaliatory fire to neutralize the opposite side

Gulf of Aden update:

australia.to...:status-of-seized-vessels-and-crews-in-somalia-and-the-indian-ocean&catid=99 :status-of-abducted-vessels-in-somalia&Itemid=132

great detailed article on the very current situation in the gulf of aden:

For 2010 the recorded account stands at 36 attacks resulting in 12 sea-jackings. The naval alliances had since August 2008 and until January 2010 apprehended 666 suspected pirates, detained and kept or transferred for prosecution 367, killed 47 and wounded 22 Somalis.

still at least 14 foreign vessels plus one barge are kept in Somali hands against the will of their owners, while at least 196 seafarers - including an elderly British yachting couple - plus the lorry drivers from Somaliland suffer to be released.

[edit on 26-3-2010 by TheCoffinman]

www.dawn.com...

Fierce gun battles between Indian soldiers and separatist rebels Saturday in the region of Indian-administered Kashmir killed nine insurgents, the army said.

“Five rebels who crossed over to the Indian-administered portion of Kashmir from the Pakistani side were killed in a shootout in the Keran area,” said Lt. Col. J.S. Brar, an Indian army spokesman. Four more militants were killed in two other gun battles in the region, said Lt. Col. Biplab Nath, another spokesman.

Brar said three more rebels were killed in the mountains near Keran over the past three days. Both officers said the army did not suffer any casualties in the fighting.

NOTE: about kashmir, just about everyday there is some sort of militant gunbattle or grenade attack and so forth, ill only post about kashmir when something relatively major happens. In this case i felt that the number of deaths warranted attention. if anything happened between pakistan-china-india at all in kashmir, it will be included no matter what.

[edit on 27-3-2010 by TheCoffinman]

www.reuters.com...

China has deployed "an increasing number" of Russian surface-to-air missiles across an ocean strait about 160 km (100 miles) from Taiwan, U.S. Navy Commander Robert Willard told a Senate committee in Washington but did not give a timeframe.

"Beijing remains committed to eventual unification with Taiwan and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve that goal,"

en.trend.az...

Azerbaijani soldier Vugar Panahir, who served in the military unit situated in Beylagan district, died after being wounded in the neck, as a result of violation of the ceasefire by the Armed Forces of Armenia, a relative of the soldier Zafar Agayev told Trend News reporter.

Vugar Panahir, conscript from Goranboy military commissariat, was injured when on duty in the morning hours on Saturday.

Causes of soldier's death are unknown. The Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan neither confirmed nor refuted this information.

GOOD! I hope war breaks out and the US gets sucked into it and our government institutes a draft and FINALLY the people might rise up and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! And kick all those rich white old men out of Congress along with the rich young turd of a President we have! Maybe the threat of our corrupt government sending all our young people off to another major war would insight the revolution our country so desperately needs! OR NOT! Maybe our troops might stand up and say enough is enough......but I hardly doubt it..... they have a "job" to do.