Bobby Akart - Devil Storm

Tal Kelman, the general in charge of the IDF’s Iran strategy, was asked in an interview recently if Israel has the ability to attack and completely destroy Iran’s nuclear program. He responded without hesitation: “The answer is yes. When we build these capabilities, we build them to be operational. It’s not that there aren’t many strategic dilemmas, since the day after Iran can go back to the plan, but the ability exists.

In reaching the conclusion that their best ally, the United States, has chosen a course the Israelis fervently believe will end up increasing that threat rather than containing it will only confirm their view that Israel is on its own when it comes to stopping Iran’s march to the bomb and that its operational planning to act military to defeat it must be accelerated.

The risk of war in the Middle East is almost certainly rising.

India and Pakistan are trying to improve relations, but decades of hostility over territorial and ideological disputes hold progress back.

After the last American soldier departs Afghanistan this year, India and Pakistan will be left with some very difficult, unsavory choices. They must attempt to maintain their autonomy while the government in Afghanistan allows the Taliban to gain an upper hand. It will not be long before the Taliban exerts its will in Pakistan.

This scenario directly threatens India’s political, security, and economic interests. It will pave the way for the Indian government to insert itself in Pakistan’s affairs through possible military action against the Taliban. These changing dynamics are sure to create increased tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, two nuclear powers.

Across five Western states — under farmland, windblown fields of grazing cattle and Great Plains plateaus — 400 aging nuclear-armed ballistic missiles stand at the ready. From a distance, the isolated, fenced-off areas look like they might be for wells pumping water, or fiber optic cable repeaters. What is underground, however, is neither water nor the internet, but weapons so powerful that if used or attacked, it could alter global climate and end civilization.

Nuclear weapons today have only one purpose: to deter the other side from using theirs while governments work to prevent their spread and ultimately end them as a threat to the world.

If there were any doubts, the latest studies about how nuclear war could alter world climate suggest that even what’s considered a small war — involving several hundred weapons — could produce “nuclear winter,” shattering the planet’s food supply and setting off an unprecedented famine with devastating global repercussions. The economic, social and governmental collapse would mean the end of civilization as we know it, suicide for humanity.

As geopolitical tensions rise in nuclear-armed states, scientists are issuing warnings on the global impact of nuclear war. The hypothetical:

It all starts in 2025, as tensions between India and Pakistan escalate over the contested region of Kashmir. When a terrorist attacks a site in India, that country sends tanks rolling across the border with Pakistan. As a show of force against the invading army, Pakistan decides to detonate several small nuclear bombs.

The next day, India sets off its own atomic explosions and within days, the nations begin bombing dozens of military targets and then hundreds of cities. Tens of millions of people die in the blasts.

That horrifying scenario is just the beginning. Smoke from the incinerated cities rises high into the atmosphere, wrapping the planet in a blanket of soot that blocks the Sun’s rays. The planet plunges into a deep chill. For years, crops wither from California to China. Famine sets in around the globe.

The worst impact would come in the mid-latitudes, including breadbasket areas such as the US Midwest. Grain reserves would be gone in a year or two. Most countries would be unable to import food from other regions because they, too, would be experiencing crop failures. The researchers did not explicitly calculate how many people would starve, but say that the ensuing famine would be worse than any in documented history.

The bottom line remains that a war involving less than 1% of the world’s nuclear arsenal could shatter the planet’s food supplies. “The surprising finding”, said one researcher, “is that even a small-war scenario has devastating global repercussions.”

The Devil whispered in my ear, “You’re not strong enough to withstand the storm”.

Today, I whispered in the Devil’s ear, “I am the storm.”

Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.

Rough seas make stronger sailors. Tough times build greater people.

All tyranny needs is for people of good conscience to remain silent.

Panic is an energy thief.

A man is not finished when he’s defeated; he’s finished when he quits.

If you are going through Hell, keep going.

I think I can. I think I can.

Wednesday, November 6

Overseas Highway at Cross Key

Florida Keys, USA

“Hey! I’m Peter Albright. Does anybody know me?”

A crush of people trying to force their way through the barricades blocking access to the Florida Keys shoved Peter forward. A woman fell near him and was promptly trampled by the refugees trying to make their way to the front of the processing line. The scrum intensified as the low rumble of two airport baggage tractors caught the attention of the refugees, forcing them to stop their progress.

The momentary pause in the forward assault on the blockade allowed Peter to hear a lone voice in the midst of the chaotic scene.

“Peter! Peter! It’s Jimmy!”

“Jimmy?” Peter was elated that Jimmy Free, his longtime friend he’d grown up with on Driftwood Key, was standing among the guards manning the blockade. He was also surprised by his presence, as Jimmy had never worked for anyone other than Peter’s father, Hank.