If you are easily depressed, stop reading. But if you are really interested in understanding the whole context of Y2K: economic, political, cultural and military; then, keep reading. If you are still reading this, then understand that war preparations are proceeding unabated, either to start an actual war or for intimidating, and then extorting concessions from an enemy. In this case, the enemy being the United States of America. Below are several scenarios that I feel are perfectly reasonable in the first few months of 2000. Whether actual war breaks out is unknown to me, I have no prophetic gift. I do know that the world will enter a period, a window if you will, of incredible instability. What the exact political, economic and military results from this wave of global instability will be is unknown to me. There can be no doubt that certain opportunistic regimes will exploit this window to achieve their long standing goal of destroying America. At least what we Americans haven't already destroyed. A while back in another essay I wrote that you could see the gleam of the wolf pack's eyes in the darkness beyond the campfire's glow. Now, with less than sixty days to go, you can hear the growls.

After all, what is an opportunist besides someone who takes advantage of an opportunity? Y2K is the single greatest opportunity to inflict damage upon the West. It's stupid to think that this once in a lifetime chance won't be exploited.

CHINESE FIRST STRIKE- The single most obvious Y2K related military adventure is a Chinese invasion of an earthquake weakened Taiwan. In conjunction with their North Korean allies launching a surprise attack into South Korea and selected nuclear strikes into Japan, Asia would be overrun within 72 hours. The US forces in Korea, some 30,000 would be slaughtered and the Aircraft battle groups would die in port at Yokohama. If they were at sea, they would be destroyed by the Chinese using information gained through espionage. Any attempts at reinforcing Asian allies or US forces would be thwarted by the Chinese military front group assuming control of both entrances to the Panama Canal on 12-31-99. Either the canal would be destroyed or missile strikes would be launched on any US naval ship attempting passage. Storming the two forts would take time, troops and weapons desperately needed elsewhere. Unless the United States wanted to move ships by railroad car, nothing from the East Coast would reach Asia for weeks, if not months.

The Chinese would also issue an ultimatum to Clinton, one already hinted at. The Beijing government would simply inform the United States that any attempt to intervene in Asia would lead to nuclear missile strikes upon five targets in the western United States. These are: the radioactive waste dump at Hanford in Richland, Washington, the nerve gas storage bunkers at Umatilla, Oregon(50 miles south of Hanford), the Los Angeles metroplex, the Prudoe Bay Oil production center, and the Valdez oil shipping port(both in Alaska). Any US president, especially this one, when faced with either the prospect of millions of US dead or eliminating US oil production for five years would cry Uncle(no pun intended).

The Chinese would then use their new naval base in the Splatly Islands to control access into their "sphere of influence" and wait to see what Y2k did to the Western powers. It would be months, and possibly years, before the United States could do anything about it-even assuming that the Pentagon isn't still lying about all those mission critical systems. Intimidating an enemy into surrender is even better than beating them in a war. Who knows, maybe Clinton will get a high government post in his Chinese friends new "East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere?"

PAKISTAN/INDIA/KASHMIR FLASH POINT- This one is more likely to be a shooting war, especially since the soldier who started the Pakistani invasion of Kashmir is now ruling Pakistan. Assuming the global satellites are still working, we might even see the nuclear red glow over Calcutta.

THE MIDDLE EAST IS LIKELY TO EXPLODE- Where to begin? It's likely that oil production will be sharply curtailed by Y2K. This will lead to widespread economic; then political, effects for moderate Arab governments-those that screw their people but tolerate the West. These effects will also happen to radical Arab governments-those that screw their people, but hate the West. Both camps will eventually unite in blaming Y2K on a "Western and Zionist" conspiracy and go to war to cya, plural. While outside the Mid-East, Indonesia will become an Islamic Republic after it experiences Y2k induced economic collapse. This Y2K economic collapse being different than the International Monetary Fund induced one they are currently enduring. The Indonesian people can be forgiven if they think IMF stands for I'm #@$%##. At any rate, it's a no brainer to predict massive instability all through the Mid-East. This for no other reason than massive instability is the natural state of the Mid-East. But seriously, how a Mideast war can be avoided in the next 18 months is beyond me. Although how we avoided one in the past 18 months is also beyond me. Did I mention that Saddam of Iraq and all the weapons of mass destruction the United Nations arms inspectors didn't find are still around? Like I said, this is depressing stuff.

RUSSIA HAS A COUP- Considering Yeltsin's popularity is currently hovering around 6% this seems anticlimactic. The current campaign in Chetyna is the first of many to solidify Russian control of the Caspian oil fields and their pipeline routes to the West. The recent Armenian assassinations may very well have been KGB inspired to further destabilize the entire region. It's reported that Yeltsin may not even be in control of the war effort. Aside from the truly scary thought of several Chernobyls, Y2k may be the final straw for Russia. A truly vicious, anti-Semitic and rabidly nationalistic Russia looms on the horizon. The Russia predicted in the Old Testament's Ezekiel chapter 38 in fact. An embittered Russia, linked with an enraged Islam could use Y2k induced chaos to try and settle the score once and for all against both the West and the Jews they blame for their troubles.

Current events are playing right into Russian extremists worst nightmare. The ill advised expansion of NATO(North Atlantic Treaty Organization) to include former Warsaw pact countries has increased Russian paranoia. Combined with America's unilateral abandonment of 1972's ABM treaty(granted a bad treaty, but why now?) and the illegal, unconstitutional and immoral war in Yugoslavia last spring, Russia has every right to view the United States with fear and loathing. The Corporate and Banking Cabal that runs the United States oligarchy has sown the seeds of war into the fertile soil of Russian historical paranoia. Once Y2K with its global chaos hits next year, Russia may very well lash out against what she views as her western and Jewish oppressors. It's quite clear that the foreign policy clowns haven't a clue to what's really going on in Russia. You heard it first on gold-eagle.com. If a Russian default almost took down one company which required Greenspan to bail it out to save the western banking system, what do you think a Russian collapse, in the context of Y2K, will do. Can anyone say $2500 an ounce gold? OK, maybe only $2000.

GENERALIZED GLOBAL CHAOS- Has anyone pondered what general international chaos means for global trade, diplomacy, travel and life in general? The company line is the USA will be ok but don't go to insert country here. What if everywhere is like that? What kind of governments will be elected, or seize power, by frustrated people in countries under stress? Will they go to war with each other? Who knows? Here is the United States insolently asserting that we are immune to all this looming chaos. It shouldn't have been the Ugly American; it should have been the Arrogant American.

But enough. You get the idea. Y2K will have military effects, either through actual war or intimidation and extortion. However, if the United States military suffers a technological collapse then all bets are off. We may then see a direct attack upon the continental United States. An attack that will be conducted with absolute impunity by forces that despise all that the Corporate Banking Cabal has done throughout the world. As we used to say in the Army, payback is a mother.