Quote from Misthos:
You misunderstand the difference between resource wars and world wars.
To determine who calls the shots, you first have a world war. Markets are shattered, industries nationalized, commodities confiscated, then a victor or victors with the least damage arise and become(s) the hegemon. With this comes an accepted world currency after a global debt jubilee. (see the end of WWI and WWII)
World wars determine who gets to pick the next resource wars. These are wars for resources, markets, and access to cheap labor.
We are already king of the hill (the hegemon), so to speak, so a world war would only occur if a nation or a new block of nations want to militarily challenge the US. We would be crazy to start one because of the extreme destruction involved. And we already learned our lessons with Iraq and Vietnam that sometimes resource or proxy wars have a diminishing rate of return on investment.
Returning to the OP, either way, the net generation faces an uncertain world. One in which they can do little about. Let them enjoy their ipods and other gadgets, for these may be the best days of their lives before they assume the massive responsibility of caring (paying) for the exploding aged population amidst a very uncertain world. I do not begrudge their current self indulgences.