Middle East
The first potential flashpoint lies in the Middle East, where Israel is thought to possess on the order of between one and four hundred nuclear warheads (although this has never been officially confirmed by Israel). Israel has been involved in wars with its neighbors on numerous occasions, and its small geographic size would mean that in the event of future wars the Israeli military might have very little time to react to a future invasion or other major threat; the situation could escalate to nuclear warfare very quickly in some scenarios. Several factions are lined up to control this strategic area: the Shiite Muslim fanatics who rule Iran and control Hezbollah, the Islamo-fascists who rule Syria and previously controlled Iraq, and the Wahhabi brand of Sunni Islamists who get their inspiration and funding from Saudi Arabia and control Al-Qaida
It is a know fact that Iran has a delivery system and short-range and long-range missiles that could deliver a nuclear, biological, or chemical warhead to Israel and any part of Europe.
Syria has consistently supported those who want to destroy Israel. In June 1967 the Syrian military might moved down from the north to attack Israel as the Jordanians approached from the east and the Egyptians came from the south.
The Israel Defense Forces stopped this three-sided invasion at least temporarily, only to face another effort by Syria to overrun Israel's military in 1973 and 1982. Since these desperate attempts to destroy Israel, Syria has facilitated Hezbollah's operation out of South Lebanon and its constant attacks on Israel's northern border.
North Korea
Pyongyang's opulent subway systems double as hardened bomb shelters capable of sustaining the entire population for several months, raising concerns about their first-strike willingness.
USA
The worisome behavior of the first nuclear superpower lies in its continuing preference for unilateral action rather than cooperative international diplomacy; the abandonment of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty and efforts to thwart the enactment of international agreements designed to constrain proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Weapons of mass destruction are used to justify the Bush Doctrine of pre-emptive strikes against "rogue states" thought to be in danger of possessing or developing them. Opponents of this strategy note that the United States is the country that possesses one of the greatest arsenal of WMD on earth, and the only country that has ever used nuclear weapons to kill (at Hiroshima and Nagasaki).
India-Pakistan
Pakistan and India have been adversaries since they were created in 1947 with the partition of British India. Both have stationed thousands of troops in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, whose lofty valleys have long served as invasion routes between warring neighbors. The desire to protect its northern flank and to maintain its pluralistic identity drives India's refusal to part with its only Muslim-majority state.
Meanwhile Pakistan, predominantly Muslim, insists that Kashmiris should have the right to decide themselves whether they want to be part of Pakistan or India. The conflict has resulted in both sides acquiring nuclear weapons that, if launched, could mean the deaths of between nine and 30 million people. A few countries fear that the threat of radical extremists seizing power and thus control over the nuclear arsenal has raised additional fears.
The Pakistani government has disputed these claims, saying that absolute proper measures insure nuclear safety.The darkest scenarios suggest that both countries would aim strikes at major cities. A blast and the following firestorm and rain of radioactive fallout could kill almost a million people in India's commercial hub of Mumbai (Bombay), warns one study. The high seasonal humidity in many of the region's cities would act to trap fallout and intensify its effects. Crop fields, the mainstay of India's and Pakistan's local economies, could be poisoned for at least a generation.
China
Another flashpoint which has analysts worried is a possible conflict between the United States and the People's Republic of China over Taiwan. Although economic forces have decreased the possibility of military conflict, there remains the worry that increasing military buildup and a move toward Taiwan independence could spin out of control.
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