World War III?

The escalating violence in the Middle East was the talk of my friends this weekend, and it was scary. The conversations covered a wide range of worries, from recession to the instituting of a military draft here in the U.S. My neighbor's daughter, a kid I've known since she was an itty bitty little thing, is over in Israel on a tour, and despite assurances by the tour operator, her mother is beside herself. Who wouldn't be? Other people we know have a son who was scheduled to start medical school in Tel Aviv next month. Should he go?
I can't imagine any solution to this beyond negotiations for prisoners. But if this doesn't happen, how will we be sucked into the conflict? And can this country handle anything beyond the nightmare in Iraq?
The world my children will inherit seems to grow increasingly volatile, dangerous and complicated. Then again, maybe every generation has had such a concern.