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Matthew28

(1,858 posts)
Mon Jan 19, 2026, 10:32 AM Monday

If the United states invades greenland and every other member of nato declares war on the united states. Would that be t [View all]

If the United states invades greenland and every other member of nato declares war on the united states. Would that be the biggest war since wwII?

Yes, a hypothetical war pitting the United States against every other NATO member (currently 31 countries, including major powers like the UK, France, Germany, Turkey, Canada, and others) would almost certainly qualify as the largest-scale conflict since World War II, based on several key metrics for "biggest" wars—such as number of nations involved, total military personnel, economic and technological resources, potential for global escalation, and destructive capacity.Why This Scenario Would Be Unprecedented in ScaleNumber of Participants: WWII involved over 30 major combatants across multiple continents. Post-WWII conflicts have been far more limited—e.g., the Korean War (1950–1953) had about 20 nations in the UN coalition but was regionally contained; the Vietnam War (1955–1975) primarily involved the US, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and allies like Australia, with indirect Soviet/Chinese support. A full NATO-vs.-US war would draw in dozens of advanced economies and militaries, spanning North America, Europe, and parts of Asia (via Turkey), making it the broadest alliance-based conflict since 1945.
Military Might Involved: The US has the world's largest defense budget (around $800–900 billion annually as of recent years) and over 1.3 million active-duty personnel, plus advanced nuclear arsenals and global reach. However, the combined non-US NATO forces include roughly 2 million active personnel, thousands of aircraft and ships, and nuclear capabilities from France and the UK. This matchup would dwarf post-WWII wars like the Gulf War (1990–1991), which involved a 34-nation coalition but against a single mid-tier power (Iraq), or the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict (since 2022), which is bilateral with indirect NATO support but no direct alliance-wide involvement.
Potential for Escalation and Destruction: Unlike regional wars such as the Yom Kippur War (1973) or the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988)—which caused hundreds of thousands of deaths but stayed contained—this scenario could rapidly globalize due to NATO's mutual defense pact (Article 5) and alliances like those with Indo-Pacific partners (e.g., via AUKUS or QUAD). With multiple nuclear states involved, it risks surpassing WWII's estimated 70–85 million fatalities, potentially through conventional, cyber, or nuclear means. No war since 1945 has approached that level of existential threat.
Economic and Geopolitical Impact: The global economy would face unprecedented disruption, as the combatants represent over 50% of world GDP. Compare this to the Afghan War (2001–2021) or Iraq War (2003–2011), which were prolonged but involved far fewer resources and nations.

Comparisons to Major Post-WWII WarsHere's a quick table comparing this hypothetical to some of the largest conflicts since 1945 (based on estimates of involvement, duration, and casualties):

In summary, while wars like Korea or Vietnam were devastating, they didn't involve a head-on clash between superpowers and their full alliances. This Greenland-invasion scenario—triggered by a US attack on Danish territory—would shatter NATO's unity and likely become the most massive and dangerous war in the post-WWII era, potentially rivaling or exceeding WWII if it went nuclear or drew in non-NATO powers like China or Russia. Of course, this is purely speculative; real-world diplomacy, deterrence, and NATO's structure make it extremely unlikely.
https://x.com/i/grok?conversation=2013271283723817022
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I asked the a.i this question. I think Russia and a few other countries would probably side with the united states, while China would side with the Nato.

I suspect that this event would be called in the future as world war III

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