Existential battle for Western Civilisation

This article by Peter Almond reports on the analysis of Rear Admiral Chris Parry, head of the development, concepts and doctrine centre at Britain's Ministry of Defence. The bottom line is that:

If a security breakdown occurred, he said, it was likely to be brought on by environmental destruction and a population explosion, coupled with modern technology and radical Islam. The result for Britain and Europe, Parry warned, could be "like the 5th-century Roman empire facing the Goths and the Vandals".

He pointed to the wave of mass migration that disaster in the Third World could unleash. "The diaspora issue is one of my biggest current concerns," he said.

"Globalisation makes assimilation seem redundant and old-fashioned ... (the process) acts as a sort of reverse colonisation, where groups of people are self-contained, going back and forth between their countries, exploiting sophisticated networks and using instant communication on phones and the internet."

The direct effects of Third World instability would soon lick at the edges of the Western world as pirate gangs mounted smash-and-grab raids on holidaymakers. "At some time in the next 10 years it may not be safe to sail a yacht between Gibraltar and Malta," he said.

The threat is imminent:

He pinpointed 2012 to 2018 as the time when the power structure of the world, much of which dates from World War II, was likely to crumble. Rising nations such as China, India, Brazil and Iran would start to challenge the US as the only superpower.

This would come as "irregular activity" such as terrorism, organised crime and "white companies" of mercenaries burgeons in lawless areas at the expense of conventional forces.

How can the West deal with this imminent threat?

The 52-year-old -- who used the slogan "old dog, new tricks" when he commanded the assault ship HMS Fearless -- said Western countries would have little use for large-scale, low-technology forces in responding to the new threats. He foresees wholesale moves towards robots, drones, nanotechnology, lasers, microwave weapons, space-based systems and even "customised" nuclear and neutron bombs.

UPDATE: A sign of the things to come. China uses Israeli technology to match US air superiority. Iran playing the blackmail game with the world.

Existential battle for Western Civilisation

This article by Peter Almond reports on the analysis of Rear Admiral Chris Parry, head of the development, concepts and doctrine centre at Britain's Ministry of Defence. The bottom line is that:

If a security breakdown occurred, he said, it was likely to be brought on by environmental destruction and a population explosion, coupled with modern technology and radical Islam. The result for Britain and Europe, Parry warned, could be "like the 5th-century Roman empire facing the Goths and the Vandals".

He pointed to the wave of mass migration that disaster in the Third World could unleash. "The diaspora issue is one of my biggest current concerns," he said.

"Globalisation makes assimilation seem redundant and old-fashioned ... (the process) acts as a sort of reverse colonisation, where groups of people are self-contained, going back and forth between their countries, exploiting sophisticated networks and using instant communication on phones and the internet."

The direct effects of Third World instability would soon lick at the edges of the Western world as pirate gangs mounted smash-and-grab raids on holidaymakers. "At some time in the next 10 years it may not be safe to sail a yacht between Gibraltar and Malta," he said.

The threat is imminent:

He pinpointed 2012 to 2018 as the time when the power structure of the world, much of which dates from World War II, was likely to crumble. Rising nations such as China, India, Brazil and Iran would start to challenge the US as the only superpower.

This would come as "irregular activity" such as terrorism, organised crime and "white companies" of mercenaries burgeons in lawless areas at the expense of conventional forces.

How can the West deal with this imminent threat?

The 52-year-old -- who used the slogan "old dog, new tricks" when he commanded the assault ship HMS Fearless -- said Western countries would have little use for large-scale, low-technology forces in responding to the new threats. He foresees wholesale moves towards robots, drones, nanotechnology, lasers, microwave weapons, space-based systems and even "customised" nuclear and neutron bombs.

UPDATE: A sign of the things to come. China uses Israeli technology to match US air superiority. Iran playing the blackmail game with the world.