July 5 2018, Masindi, Uganda:

218 people are massacred when the Lord's Resistance Army attack an undefended hospital. Amongst the dead are 32 American medical volunteers.

September 12, UN Security Council:

The US announces its plan to eradicate the Lord's Resistance Army once and for all. But it will mean military intervention in China's African sphere of influence. The message from the Chinese is keep out.

October 17, Wall Street:

Stock prices tumble as a wave of uncertainty sweeps the US markets. Memories of the collapse a decade ago are still fresh, and Washington is prepared to do what it takes to prop up America's banks. But the government's concern is that this time the turmoil is orchestrated. That someone is deliberately undermining the US markets.

Three unrelated incidents, or the opening moves in a much larger confrontation between two superpowers?