BNN Future-History
The Third World War
The Third World War started with a high-attitude nuclear strike against the continental United States perpetrated by the Islamic Republic of Iran. It was considered, by many, to be the most avoidable attack ever as many warned against the strike for decades -- including the Iranians in their weekly national prayers that concluded with chants of "Death to America!"
Still, the US president at the time, Barack Obama, went forward with a so-called treaty that still allowed the Iranians to develop nuclear bombs.
Realizing their luck in having such a conciliatory president in the White House would not hold for long the Iranians realized that if they were to strike they would have to strike at the first opportunity and such a strike would have to inflict the maximum amount of potential damage with the fewest number of weapons that could be developed within the compressed time frame. To this end the Iranians chose to make a high-altitude burst in the hopes the Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) would cripple the United State's economic and strategic infrastructure.
As fate would have it most US governmental and military systems were hardened against just such an attack. While the damage to consumer electronics and civilian vehicles was devastating the damage was temporary.
Only two US systems suffered complete outages: healthcare.gov and the US Department of Agriculture system that oversaw the EBT "food stamps" program.
The effects were felt immediately. Tens of millions of Americans whose sole source of support stemmed from EBT cards were left without benefits. Riots in predominantly Democratic urban strongholds erupted on the first day after the attack. Cities on the east and west coasts of America were ablaze as they descended into anarchy. The local and state governments were overwhelmed as angry mobs set upon their Democratic caretakers. The riots provoked a strong response from these governments and bloody urban warfare soon became the business of the day.
Meanwhile, the rest of the United States launched a devastating nuclear response that incinerated not only Iran but Syria, much of northern Africa and George Soros' summer villa on the Mediterranean, just for good measure. No longer required to seek political support from the Democrats who were mired in the coastal urban war zones the balance of the US secured its borders, revitalized its military and erased the national debt as the welfare states slowly killed off their own constituents.
Russia, fearing the newly revitalized US, sued for peace even though no hostilities were in effect.
