Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 2a classic beloved by fans for its gameplay, may now be worth remembering due to its sci-fi plot and its connection to reality. In the game’s version of 2025, the “Second Cold War” is well underway as technological advancements increase exponentially, making national security vulnerable and creating a world of fear. In global politics, great power competition is intensifying, with countries reverting to brinkmanship, putting the United States and the world in apocalyptic danger. There are many unrealistic storylines and concepts at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of war. Many future technologies, including robotic autonomous armored vehicles and invisibility, still remain theoretical. Not to mention, notable cameos and political projections, including retired U.S. Army General David Patreaus as the Secretary of Defense, and a subtly poignant take on the terrorists captured aboard the U.S.S. barack obama. But beyond this, there are three key concepts in this story that draw strange comparisons to today.
The first is the Strategic Defense Coalition (SDC), China’s representative multilateral alliance that aims for global hegemony, control of economic resources, and strategic competition with the West. Depending on the player’s important choices throughout the mission, Russia, Iran, and even India may join Beijing’s allies. SDC’s dominance is the result of China using all means necessary to persuade or coerce its neighbors, including North Korea, Pakistan, Burma (Myanmar), and Afghanistan, into becoming an inevitable superpower. Rather than a typical James Bond or Rocky movie communist antagonist, China is an anti-Western geopolitical rival that controls important rare earth minerals and mercantilist wealth. Terrorists hacked the Chinese stock market and the resulting collapse caused China to halt exports of rare earth elements to the United States. This story shows that terrorists are motivated to create a new world order and cause war between the United States and NATO against China and the SDC.
In reality, many people are calling this era of international relations a new Cold War. Economically, China is the country’s number one trading partner, accounting for more than 60% of all countries. Since the creation of video games 12 years ago, China and Russia have jointly declared that their partnership is “unlimited” and plans to expand into everything from civil to military. As recently as September, China has been making “significant efforts” through underground support to “build and diversify various elements of the Russian war machine,” according to U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell. Iran and North Korea have also surged beyond their regional reach as key military suppliers to Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, although India and China continue to experience geopolitical tensions, New Delhi can still emphasize BRICS and reap the benefits of a multipolar international system.
And who can forget China’s Belt and Road Initiative? This gives Beijing access to some of the world’s best locations for rare earth mineral extraction. One of the main reasons why U.S. support for Taiwan is collectively justified in domestic political forums is Taiwan’s robust microchip manufacturing. According to an assessment by the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association International, “Semiconductors directly require silicon, iridium, boron and phosphorus. The rare earths involved are germanium and gallium. China accounts for 98% of global gallium raw material production and 67% of germanium raw material production.”
Increasing friction in great power competition means (1) a proxy war with Russia, the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, (2) a shadow war with Iran and the resistance axis, which has led to negative changes in global shipping and trade, and (3) the South China Sea. and brought about a cold conflict with China over the status of Taiwan. These strategic issues ignore other issues in which the United States is directly involved, such as the standoff on the Korean Peninsula and the Kurdish state-building project in northeastern Syria. But all of the foregoing also ignores the U.S.-Mexico border crisis. National security threats increasingly, and arguably most directly, affect American lives.
Are the hypothetical 2025 geopolitical situation and our strategic analysis of the world intertwined? Not necessarily. Is it thematically consistent? entirely. In our global geopolitical reality, it is instructive to conclude that America’s enemies, many non-aligned countries, and perhaps some partners are fed up with the U.S.-led world order, while the most hostile countries are actively seeking to end it. It’s reasonable. The question is: what will replace America’s system of governance? Is it Chinese dominance, multipolarity, or something else? At least for now, we must accept that America’s enemies are cooperating at a level not seen since before the Sino-Soviet split.
A second consistent theme throughout the game occurs at the operational level of war, where reliance on military and civilian technology is identified as a vulnerable Achilles’ heel. Near the end of the game, the terrorist creates a trap for the hero protagonist through his capture. He was interrogated and, using his internal agents, succeeded in rescuing himself and hijacking the USS. barack obama. MacGuffin technology allows him to hack all US military drones and missiles and launch them into Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles. Of course, the plot is a fantasy written by developers who want to place players in familiar locations like downtown LA. However, the average American Call of Duty player and non-player must recognize that cyber warfare is a viable option for state or non-state actors to achieve their goals. But the question is, who is the target and for what purpose?
The scary reality is that cyberattacks are often not caused by one actor (or multiple actors in a centralized or decentralized operation). black ops 2 The hackers were clearly terrorists eager for World War III between the West and the rest of the world. However, if a major cyberattack were to occur in real life, we may never know the motivation or actors. This could lead to a bigger crisis and even the possibility of war with established hostile forces. lesson black ops 2 It is thematically argued that there is no invincible solution to cyber vulnerabilities. Moreover, how the rapid pace of escalation between two previously endangered powers could escalate into war. There is even a non-playable scene where the Chinese president gets angry at the American president for ‘attacking’ China as American drones and missiles approach.
The third thematic consistency of the game is that information warfare is only as powerful as the larger-than-life weapons the player can control. According to Forbes, the average person is exposed to 6,000 to 10,000 ads a day. This amounts to 2 million units per year. Advertising is effective at targeting our subconscious. Social media algorithms manipulate us to keep scrolling. Almost everyone in our society, across the political spectrum, agrees with these ideas.
So how do we consider supporting and even supporting nihilistic mass murdering terrorists? in black ops 2Terrorists find success using propaganda to target people disaffected by the political, military, and economic effects of the Cold War across NATO, SDC, and non-aligned countries. His recruitment mechanism through social media platforms may be derided by some, and it is fair to criticize it as unwarranted. But the cruel reality is that we are all targets of information for a variety of purposes, nefarious or not. Although it may seem silly to watch a fictitious advertisement to join the evil “Cordis Die” black ops 2This game reminds us of the luxury and freedom of being able to study real history and analyze how the public was drawn to radicalism like the Nazi and Bolshevik movements.
The player’s decisions throughout the game affect the plot, preventing or enabling Cold War II to escalate into Armageddon. Likewise, Americans who use pens rather than weapons will decide in November. Voters must consider the consequences of U.S. foreign policy intervention as greater power competition, technological advancements, and information warfare increase. The 47th President of the United States will certainly face many difficulties in the future. But in the meantime, we will have to get back into the game, reflect and discuss the geopolitical realities of 2025 that we do not want.
Additional Resources on E-International Relations
