'World War 3' Google Search Surges Following Military Escalation in Syria, North Korea
More people are using Google to search for the phrase "World War III" than ever before, according to Google Trends. New data provided by the online giant indicates that the search hit a record-high on April 7, the day after President Donald Trump ordered a missile strike on Syria.
The last time the search for "World War III" spiked was in November 2015, after suicide bombers attacked Paris and left 130 dead. This was followed in October 2016, after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet, prompting President Vladimir Putin to warn of "serious consequences."
Now, netizens are asking Google, "Has World War III been declared?" and "Is there going to be World War III?" Other phrases that have been searched for the past 30 days are "Trump War," "Syria War," "Nuclear War" and "Going to War," according to International Business Times.
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The increase in searches follows a week of big foreign policy decisions by Trump. On April 6, the president launched nearly 60 missiles in Syria in response to a chemical weapons attack that killed at least 70 civilians. Russia, which supports the Syrian government, warned that further attacks will be responded with force.
Two days later, warships from the Navy Carrier Strike Group One led by U.S.S. Carl Vinson were redirected off the coast of North Korea. Dictator Kim Jong Un described the move as "reckless" while Trump tweeted that the communist strongman was "looking for trouble."
On April 13, the United States dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan against the Islamic State (ISIS). The weapon was so powerful it was infamously nicknamed the "mother of all bombs." Aside from killing 36 jihadists, the strike was seen as a warning being sent to Syria, North Korea and Russia as well.
Political expert Alexei Mukhin noted that sources of the searches came mostly from the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.
"Have you ever heard of the Australian or New Zealand armed forces? I haven't either," he said. "I believe that this is the reason behind the concern of the peaceful inhabitants of these countries: they suddenly feel completely unprotected."
