WW3 Expert: This Could Trigger Global Starvation

Jiang Xueqin provides a sweeping analysis of the next wave of global military conflicts, driven by energy, resource control, and the fragile dominance of the US dollar. He paints a world sliding rapidly into wider conflagration, with flashpoints across the Middle East, Europe, and East Asia.

The Iran War as Catalyst for Imperial Restructuring

Jiang asserts that a US invasion of Iran, catalyzed under President Trump, is all but inevitable and foundational to a coming transformation of geopolitical order. He predicts the US will initiate a national draft, registering all 18-24-year-old American males, as a precursor to the scale of mobilization required for this new “forever war.”

Trump's Iran Invasion Seeks to Protect US Dollar Dominance and Counter a Russian-Chinese-Iranian Alliance Threatening Petrodollar Hegemony

Jiang argues the US invades Iran not from desire, but necessity. The American empire is "based purely on the US dollar, the petrodollar, which is a policy scheme." Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and America’s response—sanctioning Russia, removing it from SWIFT, and freezing assets—undermined the political neutrality backing the US dollar's global status. If left unchallenged, Russia, China, and Iran would form a Eurasian trading bloc trading outside the dollar, “not playing with the United States anymore.” The invasion of Iran thus becomes a move to preserve the imperial monetary system, cut China off from Middle Eastern energy, and force global powers to depend on American-controlled resources.

Conflict Escalation: Strikes, Blockade, Troop Deployment, Regional/Global Involvement

The American campaign against Iran, Jiang outlines, begins with attempts to decapitate Iran’s leadership through strikes on strategic targets. When swift capitulation doesn’t materialize, the US escalates to a naval blockade, aiming to cripple Iran’s oil exports and its ability to collect tolls on maritime traffic, while fomenting internal unrest by arming minority insurgencies. However, Iranian defiance is formidable: Iran retaliates by targeting American bases in the Gulf, striking global energy infrastructure, and closing regional choke points.

Trump’s strategy, according to Jiang, misjudges Iran’s resilience and cohesion, assuming that heavy bombing or assassination of leaders would suffice. Yet Iran's terrain—“a mountain fortress”—and decentralized command render US “shock and awe” tactics ineffective.

Iran's Terrain and Decentralized Military Command Render U.S. Victory Impossible, Leading To Prolonged Attrition

Unlike the easily penetrable deserts of Iraq in 2003, Iran’s mountainous geography and underground military infrastructure enable it to wage a durable, asymmetrical war. Its military embeds within the mountains, conducting guerrilla raids and launching missiles from hardened positions, withstanding US assaults and prolonging the conflict.

Jiang insists the US cannot destroy Iran outright; instead, America will push a strategy of attrition: blockading Tehran, denying water, food, and power to turn its population against the regime, while using foreign bases to arm local insurgencies. Iran, conversely, aims to draw out the war, cause maximal damage to the global economy, and provoke worldwide pressure on America to withdraw. As the war “tumbles on for decades,” the conflict becomes self-perpetuating, fueling US efforts to expand globally and control world energy flows.

World War III as Inevitable Extension of Conflicts

Probability of World War III 80-90%: Russia to Defend Iran, Secure Southern Flank, Middle East Routes

Jiang places the probability of escalation into global conflict—World War III—at 80–90% certainty. Russia, he argues, considers it imperative, both ideologically and strategically, to defend Iran against US encroachment. The fall of Iran to the US would expose Russia's vulnerable southern flank and sever its access routes to the Middle East and Africa.

Russian Entry Boosts Chinese Support Via Belt and Road, Sustains Iran, Counters U.S. Nuclear Options With Russian Deterrence

Once Russia enters on behalf of Iran, China will join materially, using its Belt and Road infrastructure to reinforce Tehran. Through the Caspian Sea, Russia supplies Tehran and guarantees basic needs otherwise denied by the blockade, while China and Russia jointly offer the financing and resources Iran needs for a prolonged struggle. Most critically, Russia extends its nuclear umbrella over Iran, deterring American or Israeli tactical nuclear strikes and ensuring the war continues.

American Seizure of Russian Tankers Is an Act of War Escalating Confrontations Between U.S. Destroyers and Russian Vessels

The conflict transforms into direct encounters between American naval power and the “shadow fleet” transporting sanctioned Russian and Iranian oil. As part of Operation Southern Spear, the US seizes oil tankers in the Caribbean and Atlantic—already declared acts of war—heightening the risk of military clashes between US destroyers and Russian ships.

Ukraine and the Struggle For Eastern Europe

NATO and Russia to Intensely Vie For Odessa, the Strategic Black Sea Gateway Crucial for Russia's Control Over Grain and Resource Exports

Jiang identifies Odessa as the “ultimate flashpoint” in the war for Ukraine. For Russia, the objective is to dominate Eastern Ukraine and ultimately Odessa, the critical Black Sea port. Control of Odessa completes Russia’s strategic goals and cuts Ukraine off from the Black Sea.

Odessa's Capture: Key To Ending Ukraine Conflict and Achieving Russian Goals, Ultimate NATO-Russia Flashpoint

NATO, recognizing that the fall of Odessa means victory for Russia, will do everything possible to keep it out of Russian hands. Once Odessa falls, the war is effectively over. Russia achieves its territorial, economic, and security aims without extending beyond geographically and historically Russian ...

This analysis details how major powers pursue their interests and maintain or challenge global dominance through distinct grand strategies, shaping the course of 21st-century geopolitics.

American Strategy For Maintaining Global Hegemony

National Defense Strategy: Dominate Resources By Controlling Greenland, Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela

Jiang Xueqin explains that the United States’ foremost ambition is to secure the Western Hemisphere fully—this includes countries such as Canada, Greenland, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras, and others. Trump’s approach intensifies this doctrine, making it clear that any trade or access to the Western Hemisphere’s vast resources requires American approval and tribute. Taking control of Venezuela, with the world’s largest oil reserves, and threatening countries such as Canada and Greenland, is an essential move to ensure that the rest of the world must rely on America for energy. This strategy is underpinned by the National Defense Strategy, advocating that the Western Hemisphere “belongs” to the United States, a modern extension of the Monroe Doctrine sometimes called the D'Arnault doctrine.

America's Strategy: Build Fortress America, Divide and Rule Worldwide, Sell Arms and Resources to Conflict Zones

The core of the U.S. strategy is to build “Fortress America”—securing the Western Hemisphere and using it as a power base while engineering divided rule abroad. In practice, this means encouraging regional conflicts in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East so that America can act as an arms dealer and financier. For example: NATO is pushed to take the lead against Russia in Ukraine; Japan and South Korea are expected to restrain China in East Asia; and Iran is set against the Gulf States and Israel. America’s fundamental goal is to sell weapons and resources to all parties involved, reminiscent of the approach it used during World War II, ensuring global dependency on U.S. products and influence.

Control of Chokepoints Like Strait of Hormuz, Malacca, Panama Canal, and Gibraltar Allows America to Blockade Rivals and Extract Tribute From Nations Dependent on Sea Trade

Another strategic pillar is the control of maritime chokepoints vital to global trade, such as the Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, Panama Canal, Greenland, and Gibraltar. Maintaining a strong naval presence—such as parking a third of the U.S. fleet in the Caribbean—is both a deterrent to rivals like Russia and China and a mechanism of extracting tribute. By being able to blockade or disrupt these bottlenecks, the U.S. can prevent adversaries from using global sea lanes, thereby forcing other nations to pay for access and shipping insurance, or seek American approval for trade routes. The U.S. is also formalizing agreements with local states near these chokepoints, further extending its legal and military reach to isolate rivals and secure economic and strategic advantages.

Russian Grand Strategy Rooted In Third Rome Doctrine

Russia's Third Rome Strategy: Moscow as the Roman Empire's Successor and Eurasian Alliance Justification

Russia’s grand strategy is heavily influenced by the “Third Rome” doctrine, positioning Moscow as the successor to the legacy of Rome and Constantinople. This theory is promoted by thinkers like Alexander Dugin and assigns Russia a civilizational mission to unite the Orthodox Christian world and all of Eurasia to oppose American sea and air supremacy. Building Eurasian alliances is fundamental to counterbalancing the global reach of the United States.

Russian Strengths: Vast Geography, Orthodox Mobilization, Superior Artillery, Committed Soldiers, Invincible in Defense

Russia leverages its vast territory for defensive resilience, as seen in history’s failed invasions. The country’s Orthodox faith is a mobilizing force, galvanizing citizens to support the state. Strategically, Russia employs superior land-based artillery and is willing to sustain heavy casualties, counting on the commitment and bravery of its soldiers. These factors make Russia nearly “invincible in defense,” particularly in ground wars like in Ukraine.

Russia's Need to Militarize Shadow Fleet Tankers Amid U.S. Aerial Supremacy

Sanctioned by the West, Russia uses a “Shadow Fleet” of about a thousand tankers to secretly move hydrocarbons worldwide. However, with America’s unmatched aerial and naval dominance, these tankers are increasingly threatened at strategic chokepoints. The only viable Russian response is to militarize its shadow fleet, risking direct clashes with the U.S. Navy. There is also an implication that China could finance the militarization of this fleet to support Russia’s global trade ambitions.

Israeli Strategy for Middle Eastern Dominance

Israel's Greater Israel Project Aims to Control Territory From Nile To Euphrates, Including Parts of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Mecca, and Medina

Jiang Xueqin describes Israel’s grand strategy as the “Greater Israel Project,” seeking to control the region from the Nile to the Euphrates—including territory from Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, even extending to Mecca and Medina. This strategy finds justification in biblical promises to Abraham and underpins Israel’s territorial ambitions.

Israeli Power Comes From Mossad Intelligence, Jewish Diaspora Influence, and Evangelical Christian Zionist Support

Israel’s pre-eminence in the region arises through Mossad, its powerful and globally active intelligence service that infiltrates and influences political systems worldwide. The Jewish diaspora collaborates closely with Mossad, wielding disproportionate global influence. This is further amplified by the support of Evangelical Christian Zionists, especially in the United States, who see Israeli dominance as divinely ordained and actively lobby for policies benefiting Israel. Israel’s prowess in global IT infrastructure also enhances its geopolitical strength.

Israel Extends Iran Conflict to Eliminate Regional Rivals, Aiming For Middle East Military Dominance

Currently, Israel exploits ongoing conflicts in the region to gradually eliminate its major enemies—Iran, Saudi Arabia, the GCC states, and eventually Turkey. The protracted conflict is viewed as a way to destroy all rivals and achieve dominance. Jiang Xueqin argues that as soon as the U.S. withdraws, Israel will likely assume command of CENTCOM assets and move swiftly to realize the territorial goals of the Greater Israel Project.

Iranian Resistance Through Religious Ideology and Decentralization

Irgc Sees Conflict as Crusade Against Great Satan, Uses Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis for Influence

Iran’s grand strategy is shaped by its theocratic structure, with the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) viewing its conflict as a religious crusade against the “Great Satan”—the United States. The IRGC deploys proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hama ...

Jiang Xueqin applies Plato's allegory of the cave to modern power structures, illustrating how elites shape collective beliefs, values, and laws through managed narratives and information control. The discussion moves from the metaphor of the cave to the mechanisms by which reality is constructed and maintained in society, culminating in the emerging dominance of AI-powered surveillance states.

Plato's Cave Framework Applied To Modern Power Structures

Xueqin explains Plato’s allegory: masses of people, shackled and immobile, stare at shadows projected onto a wall by unknown figures behind them, illuminated by a great fire. These prisoners perceive the shadows as reality. Gradually, they develop elaborate narratives to explain these shadows—creating language, religions, values, and even professions (priests, poets, teachers), all orienting themselves around the projected illusions.

Crucially, this constructed reality is not forged solely by those in power but relies on collective imagination—everything is, at its core, a shared hallucination. As people become invested in this order, any challenge to its authenticity (to look "behind the wall") is met with hostility.

Elites Project Shadows In a Cave, Forming Perceived Truths That Shape Values, Norms, and Laws

Xueqin parallels the figures projecting shadows with today’s elites: global economic rulers, the “military industrial complex” of America, and private bankers. These game masters manage underlying systems (the “fire”) that create and guide economic and social realities for the population. The values, norms, laws, and customs that arise are merely projections—interiorized by society and treated as foundational, though they emerge from a fragile, imaginary basis.

Financial Elite Control: Managing Currency Rates, Swift, and Money Creation

At the practical level, Xueqin identifies the financial elite—private bankers, managers of the Bank of International Settlements in Basel, operators of the SWIFT system, Wall Street, the City of London, and the U.S. Federal Reserve—as those who set exchange rates, enable global transactions, and control money printing. Global bodies like the World Bank and United Nations are described as presenting an image of impartiality, masking the true sources of financial power and reality-shaping.

Media and Cultural Institutions Interpret Shadows For Captives

Once the core reality is established, a secondary layer of control arises through media, education, and cultural systems. These institutions help society interpret the “shadows on the wall,” solidifying norms, legal codes, customs, and ordinary life. Media personalities, teachers, and cultural leaders become the prisoners elevated to interpretive authority, though they really serve to reinforce the projected illusions.

Mechanisms of Narrative Control and Consent Manufacturing

Enforcement is essential. Xueqin argues that censorship, deplatforming, and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs act as mechanisms for stifling dissent and enforcing orthodoxy. The system maintains stability through universal cooperation—if people refuse to accept the projected reality, its imaginary foundation collapses. As skepticism grows among younger generations, the structure becomes more authoritarian, forcing belief where voluntary consent wanes.

Media Figures Are Guided by Incentives, Not Ownership, as Elites Use Money to Influence Content Funding and Distribution

Using a dialogue with Steven Bartlett, Xueqin contends that media figures—even those who believe themselves independent—are shaped not by explicit ownership but by incentives. Because funding, ad revenue, and access to platforms are themselves controlled by financial elites, content and narrative are indire ...

Causes and Symptoms of Imperial Collapse

Jiang Xueqin argues that the American empire is facing a strong possibility of collapse within the next five to ten years. The main causes he identifies are unsustainable debt, internal corruption, deepening inequality, and growing global resentment. The U.S. is overstretched, involved in multiple conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, and potentially poised for confrontation over Taiwan. This continual overextension depletes American resources and weakens political will, making the nation vulnerable to exploitation by rivals.

One critical vulnerability was exposed by the American response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The U.S. not only sanctioned Russia but also removed it from the SWIFT global payment system and ordered the freezing of over $200 billion in Russian assets. These moves undermined the petrodollar system, which relied on the perception of U.S. dollar neutrality in global trade. By weaponizing the dollar and international finance, the U.S. created doubt about the currency's political neutrality—the very basis of its global reserve currency status.

Historical Parallels and Cyclical Nature of Imperial Decline

Jiang draws on history to place the current American moment in context. He observes that empires typically last around 200 years, following organic cycles of birth, development, and death. The Bronze Age collapse serves as a powerful historical parallel. Over 3,000 years ago, a confluence of calamities—earthquakes, famines, climate crises, wars, civil wars, and refugee movements—toppled the major kingdoms of the Middle East and Europe, including Mycenaean Greece, the Hittite empire in Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and Egypt. Massive waves of refugees, known as the Sea Peoples, formed pirate armies and overwhelmed these civilizations in search of food and survival.

Jiang suggests the American empire may similarly collapse within a decade as foundational systems falter and younger generations reject their parents' narratives and expectations.

Transition to Multipolar World Order

In the aftermath of collapse, Jiang contends, no single nation is poised to replace the U.S. as global hegemon. Instead, the world is moving toward a multipolar order. In this new system, competing regional powers pursue influence and economic integration through alternative trade blocs. BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India ...

Jiang Xueqin offers a perspective for navigating times of systemic collapse, drawing on both community organizing and spiritual philosophy to foster resilience, hope, and meaning.

Community-Based Resilience During Infrastructure Failure

Thriving During Collapse Relies on Community Bonds, Not Isolation

Jiang Xueqin emphasizes that when facing societal breakdowns—such as blackouts, water shortages, or food scarcity—the ability to thrive comes not from individual isolation but from forming strong community bonds. He asserts that leaders, visionaries, and even ordinary people must step up to inspire hope and unity, encouraging neighbors and friends to come together as a family to survive. History shows that whenever infrastructure fails, those who reach out, organize meetings, and pool their collective knowledge and resources are the ones who find solutions and rebuild society.

Communities Should Organize to Address Blackouts, Water Shortages, and Food Scarcity By Leveraging Diverse Skills and Knowledge

Jiang describes practical organization: knocking on doors, gathering residents of an apartment building, and discussing pressing issues like the absence of water or electricity. He is confident that, through collaboration, someone in the group will possess the knowledge or ideas needed to find water or devise new ways of coping. This diverse pooling of skills and experience becomes the foundation for community survival. He insists this communal approach, rather than complacency or insular living, is how people can truly thrive during periods of collapse.

Humans' Innate Creativity and Resilience Emerge In Community Existential Challenges

Jiang believes humans are fundamentally creative and resilient, though these traits often lie dormant in comfortable times. When crisis strikes—threatening families or communal well-being—people tap into tremendous reserves of imagination and innovative problem-solving. He critiques the passivity fostered by Western lifestyles, arguing that existential challenges awaken people's dormant capacity for ingenuity and collective action.

Spiritual Philosophy and Consciousness-Based Worldview

Hermetic Philosophy: Reality Is Energy and Vibrations, With Consciousness as Existence's Foundation and Thoughts Shaping Circumstances

Jiang introduces harmonic (Hermetic) philosophy, originating from Egypt and underlying the allegory of Plato's Cave. This worldview posits that all reality is fundamentally energy and vibrations; matter is merely a byproduct of these forces. Consciousness, rather than materiality, forms the true substrate of existence, making thoughts and intentions the core of reality. Physical bodies are vehicles for spiritual experience, with life cycles returning souls to the source after death to continue the learning process.

Each Person Embodies Divine Consciousness, So Choices of Kindness, Creativity, and Goodness Improve the World Within the Unified Reality

Drawing on the Hermetic maxim "as above, so below," Jiang explains that each individual is a fractal of divine consciousness—the source or God. Our choices, whether to act with kindness and creativity or with malice, directly affect the world because we each help shape reality within a unified consciousness. Rather than seeking to control vast global processes or accumulate wealth, people should strive to live creatively and bring goodness to others, knowing that these daily actions shift the fabric of reality for the better.

Kabbalistic Cycles: Collapse Precedes Redemption, Requiring Acceptance for Spiritual and Social Transformation

Jiang also references Kabbalistic thought, particularly the concept of cyclic spiritual dynamics: thesis, antithesis, synthesis. He explains that in this tradition, collapse—personal and collective—precedes redemption. The narrative includes creation, separation from the divine, destruction, recognition of error, repentance, and eventual repair or redemption of the world. This cyclical process means that spiritual and societal transformation emerges from first accepting and living thro ...