Spread of Israel-Hamas conflict increases risk of WWIII to about 50%, warns hedge fund manager

10/24/2023 / By Kevin Hughes

For well-known hedge fund manager Ray Dalio, the probability of World War III involving the U.S. and China could increase if the conflict between Israel and Hamas spreads to other regions of the world.

The veteran investor and financial historian issued this warning through an Oct. 13 post on LinkedIn. “In my opinion, this war has a high risk of leading to several other conflicts of different types in a number of places, and it is likely to have harmful effects that will extend beyond those in Israel and Gaza,” he wrote.

“Primarily for those reasons, it appears to me that the odds of transitioning from the contained conflicts to a more uncontained hot world war that includes the major powers have risen from 35 percent to about 50 percent over the last two years.” (Related: World War 3 could be imminent as Israel-Hamas war escalates, experts warn.)

Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, has been sounding the alarm on increasing tensions within and between nations for many years. The recent conflict in Israel was sparked by an Oct. 7 attack by the terrorist group Hamas during a music festival in Israel, where the group killed more than 1,000 Israelis and kidnapped hundreds. In response, the Israeli military engaged in a military offensive in Palestinian territories.

While Israel has received the support of America, Canada and most of the West, those standing in unity with Palestine include Iran, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon. A lot of Arab countries, deemed close to Washington, are feeling pressure from the local people who have rallied in support of Palestinians. Remarkably, China and Russia, the two ideological opponents of the U.S., have emphasized the need to settle the seven decades-old dispute and “establish an independent State of Palestine.”

Wars in Israel, Ukraine more likely to SPREAD than subside

Dalio, a known expert in worldwide power shifts and historical cycles, said the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars were likely to be “brutal until the end” when one side emerges as the clear victor and that these types of battles were “more likely to spread than subside.”

“If they spread to other countries, most importantly the major countries, there will be a much more horrific hot world war.” Dalio said. “It seems to me that the Israel-Hamas war is another classic, unfortunate step toward a more violent and encompassing international war.”

Dalio placed the two wars as part of a greater power struggle that would determine the new world order. He thinks the present tensions between the U.S. and China were still manageable and wouldn’t necessarily blow up into a full-scale war.

Bridgewater’s retired executive appealed to world leaders to exercise restraint, allies of the fighting nations to resist being absorbed into physical combat and governments to work together to stop the escalation. Dalio said his “pipe dream” would be for people to recognize the horror of a world war and unite to prevent one from happening.

As stated by Dalio, there is a need to broker peace in Ukraine in order to stop the conflict from spreading to the point where it could end up involving a direct showdown between the U.S. and China.

Dalio added that his “dream” is to witness Washington and Beijing jointly broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, which could quickly de-escalate worldwide tensions. He elaborated: “My more attainable stretch goal would be for the U.S. and China to jointly broker peace in Ukraine.”

“Imagine if the two leading and opposing world powers that are currently lining the sides up for a hot war join forces to deliver peace. That would be shockingly terrific because besides delivering peace, it would reduce the risks of the Russia-Ukraine war leading to worse wars and would also show that they could work together for peace.”

Noticeably, the Russia-Ukraine war started in February 2022, and both sides have not suggested initiating negotiations over the past 20 months. Approximately 500,000 Ukrainians have lost their lives since the beginning of the war, while about 300,000 Russians have been killed, U.S. officials reported in August.

Follow WWIII.news for more news about the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Watch Glenn Beck explaining why the Hamas attack on Israel points to World War III.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.