So the financial systems of our world are crumbling... How long until the SHTF?

First post, so please excuse any faux pas....

I was talking to a buddy the other day, who was fairly convinced that the whole American/western financial system was imminently crashing, and we would have only a couple months to prepare.

My knee jerk reaction, was that if everything were to go to shizz in that time frame, there would be more major indicators of the immediacy of a total financial collapse, and given the state of world affairs,I thought that it would be about 12-18 months if 'easing' policies and soverign debt defaults continue to occur.

But maybe I was being too optimistic?

If you all feel like replying, feel free to explain how long you think it will be (starting from today, July 9th 2011) until a total financial collapse happens. My criteria for a 'collapse' are as follows:

-Hyperinflation of the USD and other western currencies occurs.
-International credit markets completely freeze.
-international military action occurs due to any financial justification (ie EU nations put down a popular revolt in Greece (or Iceland) against global banking cartel-controlled govt, etc...).
-or hell, the outbreak of WWIII.

Thanks for reading! have fun posting!

wasn't there an engineered crash prior to the first world war?

Dont' worry yourself, China has the USA's debt in hand. It damn sure won't let a decade or so of America sinking to its knees get in way of recouperating its money back from the USA over the next 50 years.

My question is which country will recover first after SHTF? Someone told me countries in Central Africa.

Originally posted by voiceoreason
My criteria for a 'collapse' are as follows:

-Hyperinflation of the USD and other western currencies occurs.
-International credit markets completely freeze.
-international military action occurs due to any financial justification (ie EU nations put down a popular revolt in Greece (or Iceland) against global banking cartel-controlled govt, etc...).
-or hell, the outbreak of WWIII.

If not sooner, then a collapse inside the next 4 months. The US will be hit hardest, it will inevitably drag others with it, but all world markets will be affected. There will be martial law. I don't think there will be any major wars.

st.