The cause of the next war wan't the issue I was focusing on there, but so long as you mention it; The undercurrent that has brought about our war on terror is islam vs the west.

Austrailian leaders are scared silly about an islamic giant, Indonesia, as their neighbor, 200,000,000 strong, and their relations are stormy.

The other power player on the block, the commies, are masters of sitting in the background and using an exteraneous instrument to press their agenda. China has done this successfully in Korea and Vietnam. Both times we fought the chinks, but in the context of a war with one of their puppet states.

Russia followed the same MO with Cuba and South Africa, Rhodesia, etc.

I submit that regardless where the power lies, the Isalmic card will be the one to light the fuse. It's already burning, in fact.