<p>S&P says Ford and GM are headed for bankruptcy soon. If that happens, North America is going to have a serious recession.</p>
<p>How do you think the Chinese and the oil-rich Russians are going to react? I'm thinking this isn't going to hit them nearly as hard as it will hit us because of their substantially more manufacturing/natural resource based economies, respectively.</p>
<p>Could war be in the near future? Not a full-scale war, but perhaps an agglomeration of small to medium sized proxy battles engaged on soil neutral to the benefitting parties, as the prophet Hideo Kojima foretold. War in the 21st century, he says, will be what oil was in the previous century.</p>
<p>The automakers have assets they can sell off (and have sold off). Toyota is also down about 40% in the US (like 80% of their business). The US just spent $25 Billion bailing out these guys. Chrysler has been in bankruptcy before and survived (with US government help). </p>
<p>The Chinese aren't oil rich (but they are coal rich like us, and have diversified into everything). If their consumers (the US) are hurting, they will hurt too. The Russians need oil and natural gas prices kept high or they will be hurting. Slower car sales will hurt the Japanese too. War causes destruction and is expensive. Even if you win, you have to be able to afford to keep/control your winnings. Supplying arms (maybe to both sides) brings in more money than being a participant.</p>
<p>There were technological advances (such as RADAR, nuclear energy, even computers and space exploration) that developed as part of the war effort and its aftermath. But when you consider the sacrifices of millions of people (US WWII deaths alone over 416,000) I don't think you can call it a net plus.</p>
<p>But all those people would be dead anyway. And life sucks anyway. It's whether or not those technologies have been a net benefit that remains to be seen.</p>
<p>As I've understood it, both have been financially murky for a while for succumbing to unions, big oil, and whatnot, but investors and the government keeps throwing them lifelines. One day, the government/investors will be broke too :( :D</p>
<p>The above could have been expressed in a private message, similar to those the CC community has sent out to horse, pug, and, of course, football.</p>