/r/FutureWhatIf

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Welcome

Welcome to FutureWhatIf, a place to discuss all the possibilities that the future may hold.

Basic Rules & Suggestions

  1. Keep it realistic and somewhat serious. A scenario about the possibility of Obama raising the income tax rate to 75% in 2016 is good. A scenario about Obama revealing himself to be a powerful warlock in 2016 is not.

  2. Give context. You have an entire self post outside of the title to explain your question. Feel free to put your answer in there if you'd like! However better background creates a better question, and if you don't leave any background....

  3. Take liberty in answering the question! If OP didn't give enough context in their question, make up your own. The sub is based around quality answers, take liberty in the process of creating them.

  4. No joke or short, non-engaging comments. A joke inside an answer is fine, but address OP's question and engage in conversation.

  5. Civility and politeness are still rules. Don't correct bad spelling and/or grammar. Don't attack a person's politics and don't exalt your own. Please try and refrain from telling OP their scenario is impossible. If you do, at the least give a good explanation why. Report bad behavior to a mod if you see it.

  6. Start your posts with a [FWI] tag or 'What If'. We don't want this subreddit to cause heart trauma to users who forgot they were subscribed.

  7. Adding a date to the explanation is recommended. By default, questions without a date are assumed to start one month from the date posted.

The rules are currently subject to change as the demands of the community evolve.

If you see someone breaking these rules, please press the report button.

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/r/FutureWhatIf

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0

FWI Challenge: Create a plausible timeline where Russia gets involved in the war between Israel and Hamas

This was a hypothetical I considered: Russia is, as of now, not even bothering to get involved in Israel’s war against Hamas on either side, other than pledging to support Iran if US forces attack Iran.

What would it take for that to change?

Thus this challenge: Create a plausible timeline in which something happens that leads to Russia intervening in the Israel-Hamas War!

2 Comments
2024/05/10
14:21 UTC

3

FWI: a colonel in the US military is murdered by local police during a traffic stop

3 Comments
2024/05/09
14:07 UTC

0

FWI: A large number of military scientists are found dead

Inspired by this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GEC-Marconi_scientist_deaths_conspiracy_theory

The GEC-Marconi scientist deaths theory claims that between 1982 and 1990 a number of British-based GEC-Marconi scientists and engineers who worked on the Sting Ray torpedo project and United States Strategic Defense Initiative-related projects died under mysterious circumstances. Proponents of the conspiracy theory link the deaths like a James Bond-esque set of assassinations, variably blaming the Soviet spy agency KGB, American spies, or even British spies.

Let us imagine a similar instance happens in the year 2025, but with Iranian, Chinese, Russian and North Korean military scientists.

Which countries would be considered the first suspects? Does this lead to World War 3, or at least a new Cold War?

1 Comment
2024/05/09
12:02 UTC

0

FWI: Trump becomes President again after making a secret deal with Putin to pull out of NATO in exchange for election tampering.

This would embolden Russia to attack the Baltics. What would happen to Europe and the USA?

31 Comments
2024/05/08
20:31 UTC

1

FWI: Have Matpat as president by 2029

Somehow have Matpat be president of the United States by 2029

1 Comment
2024/05/08
19:13 UTC

0

[FWI]:Venezuela erupts into a civil war

After the Venezuelan presidential election of 2024,and the landslide victory of Maduro,a huge wave of bitterness and anger sweep across Venezuela.Accusion of rigging the election and dictatorship becomes widespread,with maduro victory speech receiving a very meager audience.But suddenly ,a man from the public takes out a gun and shoot Maduro in the public,killing him.

The PSUV,destabilised,takes too much time to determinate who to make president. In the meantime,enormous protest break out,asking to make president Machado.The PSUV send the army to repress ,but a high number of defections from soldiers make this inneffective.Thirty-five percents of the army defects to help the protesters,declaring the PSUV illigitimate and corrupt,and stating they shall liberate the country and afterwards organise fairs elections.

The civil war has begun.

0 Comments
2024/05/08
17:40 UTC

10

FWI: The protests in the country of Georgia continue to grow, and they become quite similer to the Maiden protests that occured in Ukraine a decade ago.

  1. What actions do the Georgia Parlament take in response? Do they double down, and try to force through the so called "Foreign Influence" act, or do they back down and withdraw it.

  2. If the Parliament passes the law anyway, and the President vetos it, what happens next? What if the President unexpectlly ends up signing the law?

  3. How does Russia react, if the protest continue to spread, and ends up becoming a nationwide event?

  4. how do things look in six months?

2 Comments
2024/05/08
03:49 UTC

0

FWI: India sends ultimatum to Bhutan and Nepal to submit (annexation)

What if Indian government sends governments of Nepal and Bhutan ultimatum to submit in order to annex them.

1 Comment
2024/05/07
09:18 UTC

0

FWI President Trump announces an inquiry into Boeing and is immediately shot and killed.

13 Comments
2024/05/07
08:40 UTC

4

[FWI] Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wins the 2024 election.

19 Comments
2024/05/06
06:39 UTC

12

FWI: Democratic Russia before 2124

Everyone says a Democratic Russia (or successor state) is impossible, and it might be right now, but there have been moments where it seemed possible(and attempts have been made). My challenge is how to get a free and Democratic Russia before 2124. What can be done to get this "Pie in the Sky" scenario? Of course, in real life, a pre 1917 Russia was seen as a poor candidate for going Communist(to name something that happened that was even more outlandish).

19 Comments
2024/05/04
02:10 UTC

0

FWI: Biden calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli deoccupation of the West Bank, and suspends all weapon sales

DISCLAIMER: This post does not reflect my personal views on the topic, it's just a hypothetical.

By late May 2024, despite his efforts to calm Israel down, Biden's approval ratings among younger voters, especially college-educated and minorities, have tanked. The coalition that brought him to power in 2020 is shattered. Polls show him losing to Trump in all of the swing states he narrowly won in 2020.

Biden makes the assumption older Americans (who support Israel) don't care really about foreign issues and are more fixed on troubles at home. Make of this as you will. His campaign advisors tell him if he could get the young to turn out en masse for him, he could still win key states, however the Gaza issue is holding him back.

So Biden goes on live television and announces he has called Israel's PM and called for a permanent ceasefire and return to pre-October 7 lines. However, many young voters will still be angry as it will have been going on for 8 months at this point and thousands of Palestinians are dead. So Biden goes further and says he has called on Israel to withdraw all troops and settlements from the occupied West Bank.

He says, if Israel do not heed these demands, he will suspend weapon sales indefinitely.

Could these announcements save Biden from losing in November? Would Republicans/Trump weaponise this against Biden? How will Israel react?

EDIT: Stop downvoting this post! If you don't like hypothetical scenarios you should leave this sub.

186 Comments
2024/05/02
19:00 UTC

0

FWI: Donald Trump exits the pro-life movement and turns abolitionist

Some background: You may have noticed that this is probably the third or fourth post related to abortion abolitionism and are most likely wondering, "Why is this guy suddenly obsessed with abortion abolitionism?" Quite frankly, this is rooted in how frequently I would see pro-lifers and abortion abolitionists fight each other and how I think it would be better if abortion abolitionists, rather than wasting their time fighting pro-lifers, insert themselves into the political sphere and slowly overtake those that they would consider members of the "pro-life establishment".

Here's a link to the tenets of abortion abolitionism if you're late to the party: https://abolitionistsrising.com/abolitionism101/.

This is probably going to piss off a lot of people (Even people in this sub who would consider themselves MAGA supporters) but here it goes. Let's imagine that Donald Trump wins the 2024 US Presidential election, but then completely abandons his stance that "abortion rights should be left up to the states" and instead embraces abortion abolitionism.

Let's say something happens to him-maybe he has some sort of religious awakening soon after being sworn into office-and he begins to embrace the tenets of abortion abolitionism, maintaining that God commanded that we establish equal protection and advocates for abortion abolitionist legislation, while completely rejecting and even attacking incremental pro-life legislation as "demonic", "iniquitous", and "evil".

How quickly do his former supporters turn on him given this sudden transition from "the most pro-life president" to "America's first abortion abolitionist president"?

How does this affect how he runs the country?

Furthermore, how big of a fanbase would Trump have amongst the abortion abolitionist community?

12 Comments
2024/05/01
16:08 UTC

0

FWI: North Korean submarine Hero Kim Kun Ok “accidentally” destroys the Philippines

In 2025, North Korean submarine Hero Kim Kun Ok is conducting a missile test, as commissioned by Kim Jong-Un. During the test, one ICBM “accidentally” detonates and destroys the Philippines.

How does the rest of the world react? Does WW3 happen?

12 Comments
2024/04/30
17:41 UTC

1

FWI: A Chinese military deserter crosses the India-Chinese border with intel on a new advanced attack drone

Let’s imagine that in 2025, a Chinese military deserter inexplicably abandons his or her post and crosses the Sino-Indian Border with intel indicating that China is building a new, highly advanced attack drone. He/she quickly encounters Indian military forces.

How do India’s military soldiers respond to this? Do they debrief the deserter for more info or do they just shoot and kill him or her, dismissing the deserter as a lunatic, before destroying the intel?

How does China react to this “treasonous” act?

2 Comments
2024/04/29
23:44 UTC

0

FWI a Republican president announces presidential pardons for all Republicans currently incarcerated in Federal Prison and orders all Republican governors to do the same

Do you think most governors would do it?

16 Comments
2024/04/28
19:26 UTC

0

FWI: Shou Zi Chew is assassinated and ByteDance CEO is threatened.

This is another FWI related to the banning of TikTok, except this one could be very controversial for some people.

Simply put, the scenario looks like this: In a bid to stop Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, from fighting the anti-TikTok ban in court and ensure its ban on US soil, right-wing or left-wing extremists assassinate him, convinced that the TikTok ban is beneficial to the national security of the American people, First Amendment be damned. These killers later threaten Zhang Yiming, CEO of ByteDance as well, claiming that America "has had enough of Chinese espionage in America."

How does the US investigate the murder, as well as the public threat to murder Zhang Yiming? How does China respond? How badly do tensions flare up in the aftermath of both incidents?

Author's note: I am not actually advocating for the deaths of anyone, though I have my reasons to agree with the anti-TikTok bill signed into law by President Joe Biden. This is simply a thought experiment, nothing more and nothing less.

3 Comments
2024/04/28
14:05 UTC

0

FWI: Tiktok straight up begins recommending detailed suicide guides (some intentional, some not) to the majority of its American users

3 Comments
2024/04/28
00:48 UTC

1

FWI Challenge: Cancel Sesame Street!

Disclaimer: This is not meant to be an attack on the children's show known as Sesame Street. I have nothing against the show and I actually enjoyed watching it as a child.

Background: Sesame Street is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) and was created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett. It is known for its images communicated through the use of Jim Henson's Muppets, and includes short films, with humor and cultural references. It premiered on November 10, 1969, to positive reviews, some controversy,^([13]) and high viewership. It has aired on the United States national public television provider PBS since its debut, with its first run moving to premium channel HBO on January 16, 2016, then its sister streaming service Max in 2020.

It is considered one of the most longest running American TV shows in TV history.

Here's the challenge: Create a plausible scenario where Sesame Street, the longest-running children's show in TV history, is cancelled (taken off the air).

You are allowed to use viewer outrage and the sociological phenomenon known as "Cancel Culture" to achieve this.

2 Comments
2024/04/27
17:04 UTC

2

FWI- During his current criminal trial, Trump loses it during Michael Cohen's testimony

As former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testifies during the Stormy Daniels 'hush money' trial, Trump takes exception to his testimony and calls Cohen a "lying asshole". When Judge Merchan admonishes him for the outburst, Trump stands up, tells the judge to "go fu*k himself" and starts to leave the courtroom.

Realistically, what would happen next?

2 Comments
2024/04/27
01:28 UTC

0

FWI: Japan sinks into the ocean

This was inspired by the novel "Japan Sinks" by Sakyo Komatsu and the 1973 film adaptation, Submersion of Japan.

Let's imagine that, say, in the year 2048, it's discovered that the Japanese archipelago is collapsing into the Japan Trench (This is the scenario presented in both the novel and the film that brings Japan under), which will cause the islands to sink I know it sounds really farfetched to a lot of people for tectonic plate movements to send an entire island nation to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, but let's just go with it for the sake of argument.

Would the Japanese government initially attempt to conceal it to avoid a mass panic, only to begin slowly evacuating people?

How many people do we expect to be killed in the ensuing natural disasters that will destroy the country?

Would any country be willing to accept Japanese refugees fleeing the sinking land? If so, which ones?

Ultimately, how long do you think it would take for Japan to sink into the Pacific Ocean?

4 Comments
2024/04/26
21:28 UTC

0

FWI:Monaco attempt to get independence

Pissed of by its french neighbor,who acts as if Monaco was a french city with some autonomy,Monaco decide to obtain independence in this context where France is weaker than ever.Monaco contact China and Russia,asking for soldiers,as well as nuclear weapons.What happens ?

8 Comments
2024/04/25
10:18 UTC

9

FWI: ByteDance refuses to sell after the TikTok ban is signed into law.

Now that the TikTok ban is law, it’s time for a Future hypothetical. Let’s imagine that ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok refuses to sell, and persists in its refusal throughout its 9-month deadline regarding its sale to a US Company.

As a result TikTok is banned in the USA. How big of an impact does this have on social media influencers in America?

30 Comments
2024/04/25
03:20 UTC

29

FWI: Biden dies a month from now.

What happens to US, Economy and Culture and also global ongoing conflicts ?

296 Comments
2024/04/24
20:03 UTC

2

FWI Challenge: Create a plausible future timeline where Mexico enters a civil war

This was inspired by Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. In that game, you have a Mexican Civil War, a conflict in Mexico between the US-supported Mexican government and rogue elements of the Mexican Army led by the Aguila 7 Special Forces group.

I now post the following challenge: Create a plausible future timeline in which a civil war occurs in Mexico.

5 Comments
2024/04/24
14:06 UTC

5

FWI: What would happen to human history if no babies were born for three years, and then things went back to normal? Would we still feel the effects 20 years later, 50 years later, and 100 years later?

4 Comments
2024/04/24
02:25 UTC

0

FWI: The 19th Amendment is repealed

Context: I saw a post on X made by a Christian fundamentalist claiming that #repealthe19th is Biblical, specifically that repealing the 19th amendment is “Godly” and women don’t belong in politics because “God didn’t make them that way.”

Let’s say the Christian right actually gets the 19th Amendment repealed in around 2029-2030. What happens to America now?

3 Comments
2024/04/24
01:12 UTC

0

FWI: India threatens to attack Iran over its vow of retaliation against Israel for its missile strikes

Link to article that gave me this idea: : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-missiles-hit-site-iran-abc-news-reports-2024-04-19

Let's say that India decides to crack down on Iran. What I imagined is this, after Israel's missile strike on Iran, the Indian government threatens war against Iran after a whistleblower comes forward claiming that while Iran downplayed Israel's attack, it's really planning a different form of retaliation, one bigger than the drone attacks this past weekend.

Upon hearing this, India cracks down on Iran and threatens its own form of retaliation if Iran tries anything to further escalate the war between Israel and Palestine.

Would this result in Iran declaring war on India and starting WW3?

6 Comments
2024/04/23
21:20 UTC

0

[FWI Challenge]: Get Stuxnet involved in Israel's new war with Hamas and/or anyone who supports them!

Years ago, the computer worm Stuxnet was used allegedly by Israel to go after Iran's nuclear program. Here's a challenge: Find a way for Israel to bring back and use Stuxnet once again in this new war between Israel and Hamas, as well as anybody who supports them like Iran, Turkey, etc.

2 Comments
2024/04/22
21:20 UTC

32

FWI: The Turkish President dies under mysterious circumstances mere hours after announcing that he is supplying Hamas with a new attack drone

Let's imagine that in autumn of this year or summer of next year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan publicly announces that Turkey's military will be supplying Hamas with a Bayraktar Akıncı, a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), for use in its attacks against Israel.

Within hours of this announcement he dies under mysterious circumstances.

What happens to Turkey going forward? Who takes Erdoğan's place? How does Hamas react to his sudden passing? How quickly does everyone else suspect he's been assassinated? How quickly is Israel fingered as the prime suspect? What other nations could Turkey suspect to be the culprit alongside Israel?

36 Comments
2024/04/21
14:21 UTC

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