Mutually Assured Annihilation -- Contest

Whoever can come up with the most likely and interesting scenario for how a world wide nuclear war might be initiated in our modern world with just a few paragraphs will win a prize. I have not come up with what the prize will be yet but guaranteed it will be worth it. I'm thinking a signed copy of the Reevolution's first LP. Just kidding. Add your idea by commenting and I will then copy it to the main post.

--- Andrew's Idea ---

Early 2008 - Russia and China strongly disagree with the US war in Iran, and Iraq. The two countries agree to set sanctions against the US including both trade and economic sanctions. In retaliation the US influences many financial institutions to withhold Chinese and Russian money.

Due to the conflict in Iran the US elects another President that believes in the supremacy of the US and its imperial rights in the world.

Soon the anger between the two axises of conflict begin to show their military might. The US demonstrates its advanced anti-missile shield and satellite missile defense systems. China, already ahead of the US for the use of nuclear energy begins massive nuclear armament. Russia buys many of the nuclear war heads and launches several surveillance satellites into orbit. Some of the Satellites launched have space-to-low-orbit anti-missile systems. Another Cold War has begun.

The US makes the first mistake leading to nuclear war. In 2011 an anti-missile test in the Sea of Japan sends a missile harmlessly into China. While the US immediately claims it was a mistake, China retaliates by moving many aircraft carriers and battle ships into Japan's water territory. This move spurs Washington to decide that China has declared war and moves it's battleships and aircraft closer to strategic positions in Chinese waters.

Diplomatic talks begin but do not resolve much. Some aircrafts carriers are moved. Russia, however, secretly pops up near the coast of Greenland and fires 6 Long Range Ballistic Missiles containing 5 to 10 megaton nuclear warheads. The first detonates over Washington DC. The others detonate over suspected nuclear sites. The president and most of Congress is instantly annihilated. Within hours the US, with the remaining Congress and Military, tries to figure out who attacked the US and how to retaliate. Nearly 150 nuclear missiles are sent to Russia and China. While in air another 200 missiles are launched back at the US from both Russia and China. The UK and most of Europe respond by launching attacks against Russian and China as well.

Pakistan attacks India. India attacks Pakistan. Egypt and Israel are bombed. The world is in utter chaos. Nuclear winter sets in. Human life is soon forgotten.

--- Ben's Idea ---

Global warming becomes such a problem 10 years from now that most nations agree that it's time to address this issue collectively otherwise we all will be destroyed in massive environmental devastation. This puts a temporary truce in place while governments of rival powers join intelligence and resources to combat global warming.

The people of the world remain ignorant and skeptical of their respective governments and for the most part continue their wasteful and environmentally gluttonous ways for several more years. As the condition worsens, the nations of the world decide that nuclear energy is the only solution. After some catty infighting between nations as to the whos/whats/whens surrounding this idea, it is agreed that 12 nations will be allowed to build enough power plants in their home nations to solve the crisis.

Greedy U.S. oil companies hear the news and get very uneasy about it. They ultimately forge a plan to leak disinformation into the U.S. government that several of the U.S.'s less trustworthy temporary allies are planning to take advantage of the new found nuclear resources to launch an attack on us. Because of the oil companies' still-rich resources and power, this information is taken seriously and deemed credible. As the U.S. begins looking at the other nations through this new lens everything starts to look shady. The paranoia gathers steam in the U.S. intelligence agencies and the military. Soon enough the U.S. gets trigger happy, and mistaking an abandoned Iranian missile silo being converted into a nuclear plant is mistaken for a WMD facility, the U.S. launches a pre-emptive strike deciding that with the ozone layer deteriorating by the second, diplomatic channels were too time-consuming to be left on the table as an option. This triggers the nuclear winter.

--- Andrew's Idea II ---

Time-Line For the End of the World

2035	-	Peak oil production is reached.
	-	Oil prices surge.
2040	-	Not enough nuclear power plants are in place to make electricity for all electric power transportation.
2043	-	The world’s trade and economy starts a rapid decline. The oil and automobile industries crumble.
2044	-	An economic depression worldwide hits and sends the EU into utter chaos. Soon the US falls into a chaotic mess as well.
2046	-	Black markets become commonplace and undermine real economies.
2049	-	Religious fundamental groups in the Midwest and Southern states begin to take larger roles of power, and start denying US supremacy of law over them. They band together under a treaty of religious origins.
	-	National Guard and other military units are kept from leaving those states and are instead used to maintain the rule of law dictated by a few Christian religious leaders that have ascended to power.
	-	These states secure the nuclear missile reserves within their borders, which accounts for nearly 40 percent of the US nuclear weapon stockpiles--enough to obliterate the world several times over.
2049	-	The USA is powerless to stop the disintegration of the Union. Military control is divided between the states.
2050	-	The Union of Christian Faith States, UCFS, decides the best way to serve its people and protect the faith is to take control of all remaining oil reserves. To do this they use tactical nuclear strikes in the Middle East with the presumption that no one else will retaliate with a nuclear attack. They were wrong; Everyone retaliates.

--- Faceyboy's (aka Chris') Idea ---

In the year 2007 (uh, later), Greenland finally hits her global warming tipping point opening the flood gates and releasing all her delicious ice water (no lemon) into the North Atlantic. This disrupts the world’s precious ocean currents forcing the developed world to think fast or face a new ice age in the next ten years. Claiming to be the “decider,” President Bush, in the final acts of his presidency, declares the forthcoming ice age a “terrs” (apparently terrorist, though it’s hard to be sure), and adds it to the axis of evil (now Iran, North Korea, ice age, and Freedomstan [Iraq]). He then uses his executive authority, circumventing congress (more fine print in the patriot act that we forgot to actually read) to launch a massive nuclear strike on ice age. He chooses targets just outside all major cities in Europe, Asia and the U.S. (“Who kerrs about Africa and Canada”) and launches with his new catch phrase “Let’s warm’er up!” His attempt to warm up the earth with nuclear strikes, though well thought out (for him), only plunges the earth more quickly into a nuclear winter expedited ice age. President Bush’s last words prove to be “cowboy up,” though no one was quite certain how that applied to the situation. Eventually, the mega-ice age thaws and with it some well preserved Neanderthals and they get their second chance. They prove to be kind of thick, but manage to live in equilibrium with the earth, so, I guess they’re not THAT thick.