This idea is so fringe crazy I have a feeling I will regret releasing it - but here goes. It is 2014. At the end of QE5*, the bloc of creditor nations nominally lead by China, presents a 'payment schedule' demanding that the U.S addresses its colossal debt obligations within two years with a mix of valuable commodities, physical precious metals and ceding US territory. The bloc threatens the US with a complete trade embargo where U.S dollars would not be accepted as payment. The U.S government attempts to defuse the situation (fast-talking) with stalling negotiations, hoping to divide the Bloc with petty enticements and paper promises. Eventually the US withdraws from these negotiations and ends all repayment for Treasury and other US debts, effectively a US sovereign default. The Bloc, thoroughly satisfied that the US will never fulfill its debt obligations proceeds with the threatened trade embargo. Within 6 months, essential services begin to crumble due to lack of basic supplies, which has long been dependent on imported manufactured goods. Widespread civil unrest develops, the National Guard and eventually the Active Service Army/Marines are called upon to end the unrest but fail to stem to tide. Lacking any other option, the government turns to its nuclear arsenal - its final trump card. The U.S drops its pretense and goes for outright nuclear blackmail, threatening the world with thermonuclear annihilation unless: 1) All US government debt obligations are immediately and irrevocably discarded 2) All national reserves of precious metals are delivered to Fort Knox within 14 calendar days 3) Unconditional acceptance of the US dollar as a means of trade, backed by the threat of indiscriminate nuclear annihilation. The new monetary standard is known by The 'Plutonium/Tritium Standard'. Since the Cold War, the US nuclear deterent strategy has relied not on having the most warheads but the most survivable, due to extensive use of strategic missile submarines ('boomers') and delivery systems on mobile platforms rather than fixed silos. It is estimated even in the event of an surprise Soviet 'First Strike' no less than 25% of the US nuclear aresenal is estimated to be available for the retaliatory attack (Yes, even if the US was caught 'pants down' at minimum force alert). The 'overkill' factor in the US SIOP (nuclear war plan) would ensure the end result would still be unimaginable annihilation. Substitute 'Soviet' for 'Chinese' and you can see how the Bloc cannot pre-emptively neutralize the US threat with a First Strike. Don't forget China currently maintains a minimal 'deterrent' force (best estimates range from 400-1000 devices) compared to the US's 5000+ delivery-ready warheads. The next chapter in this horrifying story - I leave to you, dear reader. The only way out of this fix for the Bloc would involve a reliable technological means of neutralizing the US arsenal either with a SDI-like missile defense system or compromising the C3I (Command, Control, Communication, Intelligence) apprataus of the US nuclear force. *name may be altered slightly but its basically USD-printing
probably not, they've had plenty of reasons in the past to use them in an environment of public opinion that was far less hostile to nuclear use than now, ie cold war.
I think more likely is a false flag attack to say..."give us a 10yr extension pls ". They'll say "Our economy was going great and we would have paid everyone back until Tajikistan exploded a EMP above Detroit ".
The US cannot piss the world off. It isn't that big. More likely is a devaluation and an agreement among western nations and eastern nations as to the amount of the devaluation/new currency etc.. I would rate nuclear threat from the US as extremely low, and extremely stupid if they did.
- Hey, just because they used the Nuclear Bomb on Japan after WWII doesnt mean that they would use it again soon thereafter the USD came onto the scene I dont think the "US government " wil be the next deployer of nukes in the world but i do believe that the world will be nuked somewhere within 11 years 95%, within 5 years 90% , next year 80% the same 'bunch' behind 911 will be the same 'bunch' to pull the nuke
My tin foil hat likes this thread. Cold War 2: Modern Warfare The US has used and is using military force sugar coated with diplomacy to get what it wants (Iraqi oil, Libyan oil). It would have no reason to change its tactics in a more dire situation.
care to explain number 2 lol? ( are you talking about all of the usa national reserves? if so, they are going to nuke themselves if their own companies/citizens do not send in their PMs???) basically i think this will sum up the crisis if usa cant pay off their debt... china: please pay your debt usa: sorry we're broke china: well then we'll take some of your land/resources usa: only if you want to be annilihated china: ............ probably the debt will disappear just like it did after WW2. maybe the usa can try collecting their WW2 debts with interest to pay off the chinese
it will probably be like: US to China: Forgive our total/most/partial debt and you have the reserve currency, be main(or share) superpower, etc