WHAT COUNTRIES WOULD LOOK LIKE AFTER WW3

World War III is over; the planet will never be the same. The southern United States now belongs to Mexico. Europe is the newest administrative province of Russia. Japan, Taiwan, and Australia are governed by Beijing.

Regardless of how World War III starts, it will rewrite the borders of the map and not in the ways you might think.

We are going to examine a few hypothetical scenarios for World War III and how each would result in shifting borders across the world. There are some key factors that must be clarified before we get started. One, we can’t possibly cover every scenario in this video, but we will examine some very intriguing outcomes based on statistical data of the most likely scenarios. Two, we will assume nuclear weapons are used in moderation, and the war doesn’t escalate into a full-blown apocalyptic event. And three, we are basing our extrapolations for the future on the information we have now and how certain nations and regimes have acted in the past.

3 The only way that a third World War could erupt in the present day is if Russia and China combined forces and went to war against NATO. The reason for this is that neither Russia nor China is strong enough to defeat the United States and its allies alone. The reality is even if they worked together, China and Russia would likely still struggle to win an all-out war with the West. That being said, there are several scenarios where a Sino-Russian alliance could come out on top due to the massive natural resources at their disposal, the enormous size of both militaries, and China’s economic stranglehold on many parts of the world. We know that the United States has the most powerful military in the world by far. We also know that NATO, on average, has better weapons and tactics than both Russia and China. However, let’s examine what would happen in several different scenarios and how they could possibly result in the shifting of borders in ways we might not expect.

4 The two sides in World War III will be NATO and Western nations on one side, including their strategic partners and alliances around the world. This would mean that Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and parts of Latin America would also likely join this side of the battle. The opposition would be led by China and Russia, which would also include many nations with authoritarian rulers and close ties to Moscow and Beijing. This means that North Korea, Belarus, Syria, Iran, and a number of former Soviet Bloc states will ally themselves with Russia and China. There is also a possibility that many Latin American and African countries will also throw their lot in with China in particular, the reason for which we will discuss later on in this video.

5 NATO is made up of 31 countries, most of which are in Europe except for the United States and Canada. Similar to NATO but by no means as powerful, is the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which is an alliance between Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. The CSTO has a comparable stipulation as Article 5 of the NATO agreement, numbered Article 4, which basically states that an attack against one member would be seen as an attack against all members of the alliance. So, if any one of the 6 nations in CSTO is invaded or forced into a war, all other nations will declare war on the aggressor.

Now let’s look at some World War III scenarios and see how allegiances shift, and borders would change as a result. The first few might be shocking as there will be some backstabbing between supposed allies. But as we continue with our analysis, a much more hopeful picture of the world will start to emerge. Unless you are rooting for the authoritarians to win, then you will be sorely disappointed.

6 Scenario 1: Russia’s worst nightmare. The War in Ukraine has been raging for more than a year. Putin feels the impending doom on the horizon. He takes drastic actions by launching a tactical nuke at a Ukrainian base. The low-yield nuke detonates, vaporizing the base, soldiers, and vehicles in the vicinity. But since the nuclear device is only 25 kilotons, the blast radius is around .4 miles or .64 kilometers. The damage is not widespread, but it’s the very nature of the weapon that elicits a response from NATO. They declare war on Russia and launch aircraft, conventional missiles, and soldiers at key targets across the border. NATO refrains from using nukes as they don’t want to escalate things further, but Putin must be dealt with. In response to NATO’s invasion, Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty Organization is initiated. Russia has just over a million soldiers between their active members, including those in reserves. However, since the war began, Russia has suffered close to 200,000 casualties, so things are already looking bad for Putin.

8 He calls on his closest allies and other authoritarian rulers to aid Russia in their fight against NATO, as once Russia is defeated, the West will spread its influence even further into the Middle East and Asia. But this is a hard sell. The fighting is contained in Eastern Europe and Russia. Many leaders don’t want to paint a target on their backs, so they stay out of the conflict. Other than the CSTO countries, Iran decides to fight alongside Russia as its government’s deep distrust for the West fuels its decision to escalate the conflict. Syria also joins Russia due to the fact that President Bashar al-Assad is afraid that if Putin loses, he will lose his main source of weapons to control his own country. But even with aid from these other nations, there is one country whose absence cannot be ignored: China. When Russia launched a nuke—even if it was a tactical one—Beijing turned its back on Putin. China has made it very clear what its stance is around using nuclear weapons. Beijing firmly believes that nukes should only be used in the defense of one’s country and never as an offensive weapon. Therefore, the nuclear bomb that Putin dropped on Ukraine sealed his fate.

China refuses to come to Russia’s aid. Now, instead of receiving an influx of weapons and men, China has cut off most of its support to Moscow. They still buy natural resources from Russia but refuse to send military aid.

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In this scenario, NATO forces quickly storm through western Russia and capture Moscow. After a year of fighting in Ukraine and the worsening conditions in the country due to heavy sanctions, the general Russian population doesn’t put up much of a fight to keep Putin in power. For many, their leader has failed. The superior tanks, aircraft, and technology of NATO forces allow them to deal with any defense Russia mounts. Vladamir Putin is found dead in the Kremlin with a bullet in his head from what appears to be an assassination carried out by someone in his own government. NATO would also attack any country that allied itself with Russia during the conflict and, after the war, would have their governments dismantled and reorganized. So, if World War III ended up being Russia fighting against NATO without the help of China, there is no chance they could win a conventional war. Even with allies in the area, too many other countries would remain neutral if China did not back Russia. This includes North Korea, who more than likely would aid Russia, but only if China gave them permission. Given the scenario we just outlined, if Beijing refuses to support Russia, it will likely force North Korea to do the same.

10 After the war was over, Russia would be broken up, and new governments would be put in place. There’s even a possibility that China would invade Russia from the East if Beijing thought there was a chance Putin would launch more nukes and put the world at risk of being obliterated in a nuclear holocaust. In this case, China may lay claim to some of the eastern and northern lands of Russia as there are huge amounts of natural resources, such as fossil fuels and ore, in some of these regions.

Let’s imagine after Russia is defeated and forced to surrender that, the country is deemed too large to control by one government and that the stability of the region may be better maintained by splitting Russia up into eight different countries based on the borders of its federal districts. Now instead of one giant country, there are eight smaller ones to manage. The maps of Asia would need to be rewritten with these new borders, and each territory would be given its own name. It’s plausible in this scenario that the Far Eastern and Siberian districts would come under the influence of China. Beijing would set up puppet governments in these new countries that served their interests by giving them exclusive trade deals and the rights to acquire the natural resources in the region. These nations would also serve as a buffer between China and the now pro-West nations of Western Russia.

11 The new nations to emerge from Russia’s western districts would be led by democratically elected governments. These would obviously be overseen by NATO and would have close ties to Europe and the United States. The borders of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan would likely remain the same but with new governments. The Kaliningrad Oblast, which is currently a part of Russia, would likely be incorporated into Lithuania’s borders rather than becoming its own country.

There is also the chance that in the chaos, other players in the Middle East might take advantage of the weakened state of anyone who aided Russia. Perhaps Israel would launch an invasion of Syria to eliminate one of the threats surrounding it, secure more resources, and effectively expand its territory almost tenfold. China might take control of the Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan governments and install regimes that would ally themselves with Beijing.

12 If Russia launched nukes and started World War III without the aid of China, the only boundaries that are likely to change are those of Russia. It would be divided up into several smaller countries that the West and China could more easily control. The Middle East might see some turmoil and shifts in power, but the borders will likely remain the same.

Now let’s look at a second scenario. One that will lead to a global conflict where every country will need to choose a side. In this second scenario, you will be shocked by how different the world map looks when it’s all over.

12 Scenario 2: China allies itself with Russia and uses its power and influence to pull others into the conflict. World War III is about to break out. The rulers of Russia and China are trying to preserve their very way of life. The West has been encroaching closer and closer, spreading its ideologies and influence. Beijing has had enough and conducts a secret meeting with the leadership of Moscow. It’s decided that if their authoritarian way of doing things is to continue, they need to deal with the United States and its allies. In order to do this, China pulls some strings.

13 Both Vladamir Putin and Xi Jinping reach out to other authoritarian rulers around the world and warned that if they don’t support Russia and China in the coming conflict, the West will come for them next. This allows Russia and China to convince many of the single-party governments and authoritarian rulers across the planet to join their side in World War III even if they have ties to the West. Many governments in East Asia, Central Africa, and the Middle East ally themselves with China and Russia to ensure they can maintain their power after the war. China also uses its economic might to bend nations to their will who don’t initially join their side or the cause. Much of Latin America is deeply indebted to China. And although the United States still has a major presence in the Americas, Mexico, Venezuela, and Brazil are forced to support China or suffer economic collapse. Beijing leverages its Belt and Road initiative to bring other Latin American countries to its side as well.

14 When all is said and done, the desire for authoritarian rulers to stay in power and governments' willingness to do whatever it takes to keep their economies from collapsing, China gathers a lot of support. Resources, weapons, and soldiers pour into the conflict from around the world. Fighting breaks out in the Americas and in Europe. NATO and its allies can’t hold off the flood of support for China and Russia. Western powers fall.

We know this is an extremely unlikely scenario at this moment in time. But as hyper-nationalism continues to rear its ugly head around the world and China continues to spread its power and influence by leveraging its economic might, this scenario might not be out of the realm of possibility in the future.

Let’s look at how this conflict would result in a re-writing of the world map. After the war ended, China would claim all of East Asia as its domain. Beijing may allow certain governments that supported them to remain in power, but Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia would all be reorganized into Chinese territories or, at the very least, have puppet governments put in place that answer to Beijing. Australia could be one of the last holdouts for democracy in the region, but eventually, both the continent and New Zealand would be forced to answer to China.

15 South Korea and North Korea would be reunited, with Kim Jong Un as the Supreme Leader of everyone within his new borders. Obviously, this was not willingly accepted by South Koreans, but China would crush any resistance and make sure that Korea remained unified as a single nation that would be indirectly under their control.

Mongolia would likely be able to maintain its borders by siding with China and Russia during the war, as it would literally have no choice because of its location. However, any government in Mongolia would be commanded by Beijing.

The Middle East would likely keep similar borders as it has today. As long as the governments in this part of the world continuously supplied China and Russia with fossil fuels and resources during World War III, the governments in the Middle East would be allowed to continue ruling their respective territories. Although, Israel would likely be wiped off the face of the map, and its territory would be split between Syria, Egypt, and Palestine.

16 The borders of Central Asia would be a little more complicated to predict in this scenario. Pakistan would likely join Russia and China in the war and would therefore maintain its territory afterward. But what about India? There has been conflict in the past and even recently along the Himalayan border between India and Chinese-controlled Tibet. China also sees India as a rival in the region and a threat to its power. So, it’s probable that China and Russia might allow India to remain neutral during World War III but then attack them later on. And even though India has ties to the United States and Europe, it’s unlikely that the Indian government would support them in a World War if staying out of the conflict altogether was an option. Perhaps when the dust settles, India will be broken up into three new regions. The northern section will become part of China; the west, part of Pakistan; and the south could remain its own nation but with a government controlled by Beijing. Bangladesh then may be consolidated into one of these regions or gifted to Maymar for their support during World War III.

17 Europe would be completely decimated by World War III. There is pretty much no country on the continent that would get out of the conflict unscathed. If Russia, China, and their allies won the conflict, Finland, Sweeden, and Norway would likely all be incorporated into Russian borders. They would no longer have any sovereignty, and Moscow would rule them with an iron fist. The same would go for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Obviously, Putin would finally get his wish of incorporating Ukraine into Russian borders. It’s possible that Belarus would remain a sovereign nation as it would heavily ally itself with Russia from the beginning, but in reality, Alexander Lukashenko does whatever Putin says anyways. Any nation that was a former part of the Soviet Union would likely become part of the Russian Empire once again.

But what about the rest of Europe? Germany may be able to maintain its borders as long as it gives in to every single one of Russia’s demands. A puppet government could be put in place, but a deal might be made since Germany currently relies heavily on Russian fossil fuels. Around 35% of Germany’s fossil fuels come from Russia, which results in Berlin spending billions of Euros on Russian energy supplies each year. There may be a way for the German government to convince Russia to let them stay in power in exchange for continued purchasing of their gas and oil. Of course, this government would pretty much be owned by Putin, but the country itself may not be dissolved.

18 The rest of continental Europe might not be so lucky. It could be consolidated and turned into the European Communist Federation, where each country is no longer a sovereign entity but a state within a single nation ruled by one of Putin’s closest and most trusted allies. Perhaps the capital of this new country would be in Switzerland as it would be located near the center of the new Communist State. Switzerland may try to stay neutral in the initial conflict, but as Russian troops and their allies conquered Europe, even Switzerland would not be spared. The United Kingdom would be too dangerous for Russia to leave as its own entity, so either loyalists to Russia and China would need to be put into power, or the U.K. would be incorporated into the newly formed European Communist Federation.

The borders of the Americas would also shift after World War III if Russia and China won. Canada would likely maintain its borders, and the government there might not even be tampered with. Both Russia and China would need to keep Canada in check, but after its 70,000 active troops, 4 submarines, and 63 fighter jets were destroyed during the war, Moscow and Beijing have little to worry about when it comes to Canada.

19 The United States, on the other hand, would be completely dismantled. Russia would take back Alaska and incorporate it into its Eastern territory.

When World War III broke out, Mexico could have been swayed to join China due to its growing economic ties to Beijing. Mexico would never do anything to anger its neighbor to the north without assurance that they would be protected. But as U.S. forces were sent abroad to fight in the Pacific and Europe, its military at home became weakened. In this scenario, Mexico could bide its time until the United States was forced to surrender while continuously sending supplies and resources to China. When the fighting stopped, Mexico would agree to maintain positive diplomatic ties with Beijing in return for the land taken from them by the United States during the Intervención estadounidense en México or Mexican War. This means that parts of at least 9 states would now belong to Mexico. China might then set up an overseas territory in the Northwestern section of the United States controlled by Beijing, while the East Coast was divided into smaller territories that Russia could manage. Although this would be one of the more difficult regions for Moscow and Beijing to keep under control so, perhaps the Northeastern and Central United States would be able to remain a sovereign nation but with harsh restrictions placed on the size of its military similar to how Allied Forces treated Japan after World War II.

20 The Southeastern coast of the United States could be given to Cuba, which would almost certainly back Russia and China in World War III. The administrative center for this new Cuban Nation would be located in Havana, but Communist forces from around the world would need to be deployed to Florida and the surrounding states to ensure no uprisings emerged. Cuba would also likely expand its borders with the aid of Russia to incorporate much of the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico and Haiti.

Then there is the matter of countries that formally recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation. If China comes out as a victor in World War III, Taiwan will be reincorporated into its borders. Any nation that had formal diplomatic relations with the Taiwanese government would be punished for their insolence. Belize and Guatemala would most likely be integrated into Mexico, or perhaps the authoritarian rule of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua would be extended into the rest of Central America, including countries that were previously too close to the United States, such as Costa Rica.

In South America, the borders wouldn’t shift much as many of the countries there were already under the economic control of China to begin with. These countries most likely stayed out of the war, but places like Brazil, which exports huge quantities of Soy to China, and Chile which sends copper and iron ore across the Pacific, may gain special support in the region. Paraguay, on the other hand, would likely be gifted to one of the other countries as it formally recognizes Taiwan. It’s possible that Brazil would take control of Paraguay and bring it into its own borders, which already contains around 50% of the land in South America, 1/3 of Latin America’s total population, and 60% of South America's economic output.

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The borders of Africa would probably remain similar to what they were before the start of World War III. However, some leaders may try to take advantage of the turmoil in the world and invade neighboring territories for their resources. Others may take the opportunity to launch larger battles over disputed land. However, there would likely be no major border shifts as a direct result of the fighting between NATO and its Allies against China, Russia, and its allies. Although it is possible that Africa could see an explosion of manufacturing and trade after World War III ends as Russia and China look for more places to procure resources and cheap labor to help rebuild their battle-worn countries and to maintain control of their new empires. So, resource-rich nations like Nigeria, which holds around 25% of the continent’s petroleum, and South Africa, which mines $125 billion in mineral resources each year, could gain even more power and influence in the region. These nations will likely form even closer ties to the victors of World War III, which would lead to their dominance in the region.

We cannot be sure exactly what the aftermath of World War III will look like. If Russia, China, and their allies win, Western democracies will likely be dismantled and authoritarian regimes put in their place across the world. It seems that this would set the world up for future conflicts, as authoritarian leaders aren’t known for getting along with each other. However, we likely won’t have to worry about this scenario because it’s much less likely than the next one we are about to discuss.

Scenario 3: NATO and its allies go to war and win. 22 As things stand right now, the United States has the most powerful military in the world. Therefore, by extension, NATO has the most powerful military in the world. Even if China and Russia could manage to convince several other countries to join them in their fight against the West, it’s still unlikely they would be able to win. The combined might of NATO nations would overwhelm both the Russian and Chinese militaries. For one thing, Russia can’t even defeat the Ukrainian military, which is much smaller and has revealed numerous inadequacies in Russia’s military, equipment, and leadership. China would be a more formidable foe, but like Russia, a lot of its vessels and armament are outdated. What we will say is that China is rapidly modernizing its military and spending massive amounts of money on creating state-of-the-art weapons. So, in the future, China could be a huge threat to the West, but it’s not quite there yet.

23 Let’s now look at how the borders of the world would be redrawn in this scenario. Like in the first World War III scenario, Russia would likely be divided into different parts after the war ended. The country is 6.602 million square miles or 10.624 square kilometers, which is absolutely massive when compared to any other country. Canada, the second largest nation in terms of landmass, is only 3.855 million square miles or 6.204 square kilometers, making it only a little more than half the size of Russia. Again, the country itself could be broken up into its 8 Federal districts, and a new government could be established in each one. However, since China would also be on the losing side of the war, Western nations would be solely responsible for helping to establish functioning governments that are elected by the people. The last thing anyone would want after World War III is a unified Russia building up its strength again and starting another global conflict in the future.

24 The danger here is that a divided Russia controlled by the West may cause flashbacks for much of the world during which European colonization was at its height. There is the possibility that the Russian borders would not change, but instead, a new government would be set up in Moscow to help transition the entire country into a more democratic form of government. But like so many armies have found out before, conquering Russia and its people is a somewhat impossible feat. Even with a new democratic government in Moscow, there would still be groups of rebels that would continue to fight against the new government and their Western ideals for decades to come.

25 Even after NATO won World War III, the Russian frontier could become a lawless place. There may be generals or other Russian leaders who could rally large numbers of people together to fight back against the Westernization of their former homeland. This could lead to fluid borders that are set up by different factions vying for control of the country. Therefore, NATO and its allies may only focus on rebuilding and reorganizing the government in Western Russia. Perhaps a line will be drawn somewhere just to the east of Moscow. To the west of this border, a new European-style series of countries and states will form that are organized similarly to the democratic republics of Europe. To the east of the border will be a wild frontier where warlords fight with one another to claim dominance and power. In this chaotic post-World War III part of the world, there would be too much disorder and fighting for any one group to gain control, thus leaving eastern Russia in a state of constant flux, meaning this part of the country will never be able to grow powerful enough to threaten the world again.

26 Then there is the matter of China. China is a large country at around 3.7 million square miles or 6 million square kilometers. But it’s the nation's population size that will serve as the real problem when trying to organize this part of the world into a new set of countries with stable governments. China has just over 1.4 billion people within its borders. The problem with rebuilding and restructuring the country after World War III is that practically all 1.4 billion Chinese citizens have been brainwashed to see Western ideologies as being evil. In order to create a functional government or series of governments to lead China after World War III, the territory might need to be broken up into several parts. There will also need to be a transitionary government where democratic elections can be held and the brainwashing of the Chinese people by President Xi Jinping and his regime can be broken. Splitting China up into several smaller nations and being sensitive to the ethnic identities of people in those regions may help rebuild East Asia after World War III.

27 For starters, Tibet would regain its independence and be able to govern itself. Taiwan would become a truly sovereign nation without needing to fear being invaded by China. Then there would be different sections that could be separated even though a mix of different ethnicities are present. The border of Mongolia could be shifted to include northern China, where there is already a large Mongolian population. Western China could become its own nation or be incorporated into the newly reformed Kazakhstan, where a new government based on democratic elections will be established following the war. Central and Eastern China could make up the new borders of a truly Democratic Republic of China, and the government in Beijing could oversee this region. Obviously, the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party would need to be removed. Perhaps a Chinese democracy could be established with multiple parties representing the needs and wants of the people instead of the desires of a dictator.

28 North Korea would be reunited with South Korea, and the Kim dynasty would come to an end. The government in Seoul would welcome representatives from the north, and the Korean people could be once again unified, but under a democracy rather than a harsh authoritarian ruler. There would be huge amounts of humanitarian aid sent to Korea to help with the transition of North Koreans into a society where they actually have a say in the laws being made and don’t need to fear for their lives every day.

However, this would be true for many parts of the world. If World War III ends with NATO and its allies dismantling the authoritarian regimes in Russia, China, and any country that joined them in their fight, other dictatorships could collapse soon after. Once news traveled around the world that oppressive regimes had lost and democratic ideologies were being implemented in newly formed countries where Russia and China once were, popular uprisings could begin across the planet.

29 Countries in the Middle East could see revolutions to overthrow outdated and oppressive ideas and give every ethnicity and gender more rights. Countries in Central Africa would go through revolutions where the people take back their power. Latin American countries that once embraced the ideals of the Soviet Union and authoritarianism could find their populations demanding more freedom and fair elections. The borders in these parts of the world probably won’t change much, but the governments and systems might become much more centered around democracy.

30 Ukraine would finally be free from Russian invasion forces, and the Crimea Peninsula would be returned to its borders. Belarus would either be forced to install a new government or be incorporated into the newly formed Western Russia, which would have its capital in St. Petersburg.

A lot of what comes out of World War III is the dismantling of countries on the losing side that were too big or had too much power. If Russia and China won the war, the United States and Europe would be broken apart and either incorporated into other territories or given new authoritarian governments to oversee their populations. If NATO and Western nations won the war, Russia and China would be broken apart into smaller territories, and new democratic governments would be installed to govern the populations within their borders.

31 For the most part, Africa, South America, and the South Pacific probably wouldn’t see their borders shift much unless local conflicts escalated as a result of the chaos caused by World War III. It’s impossible to tell exactly what the world would look like after a global conflict, but there would definitely be changes to the world map. That being said, if nuclear war erupted as a result of World War III, then much of the northern hemisphere would be obliterated by nuclear war. The landscape would become irradiated and pocked with craters. All borders would cease to exist as there would be a mass exodus of anyone who was still alive to more rural areas. At that point, nationality wouldn’t matter. Soon after the nuclear bombs and missiles stopped falling, the smoke, soot, and debris kicked up by the nuclear explosions would begin blocking the sun. It would spread to the southern hemisphere, making the entire planet all but inhospitable. So, if World War III results in nuclear war, we can just forget about any borders or governments as the human species as a whole would struggle to survive.

Now watch “US World War 3 Plan.” Or check out “Countries That Will Be Destroyed Because of World War 3.”