Post-War Perils

“What will be the most feared and dangerous weapon (excluding nukes) in the upcoming WW3?”

Militia/armed mobs.

The way I see things progressing and depending on where one finds themselves, there will be a breakdown of orderly rules which govern a conflicted area. Once that happens, the disorder will prove to be a fertile breeding ground of lawlessness. While this would be troublesome, what truly worries me is the onset of those who want to restore order as they see it. Afghanistan saw a similar phenomenon with the rise of the Taliban in the wake of the Soviet withdrawal in ‘89… and I’m sure that I could find other similar examples with more time.

“Order and justice” at the whim of an armed enforcer is neither order nor justice as we presently know these concepts. The former is often facilitated by either bigger ego and/or bigger weaponry: “if there is a problem in following the rules – our rules, then dissent will be handled with draconian measures to preserve our order.” As soon as established rules of law are cast aside, the weasels will emerge from the woodwork and set out to establish and maintain that which they feel is necessary for their newly-consolidated power…

…Which leads to the latter – the perversion of justice at the whims of whomever establishes power. Part of what defines us as a civilized society is our acceptance of the laws that govern each member of the larger society. Of course, this is not a perfect system; the great thing about it, however, is that there are mechanisms in place for addressing grievances, appealing disputed judgments, or even reviewing the existing rules to make accommodations/adjustments as society slowly changes.

Not so with the dynamic environment which may follow the next global conflict. With all the current protests and whatnot… one could easily imagine that power and rules may fluctuate rapidly, and such confusion might become a fertile petri dish for militant opportunists.

For me, nothing would be more worrisome than the enthusiastic and somewhat jittery overarmed masses lead by the charismatic and idealistic fool.

…After all, it has happened before.