WI: Fashoda War

One little POD that has always greatly interested me is the Fashoda Incident. A mere sixteen years before the United Kingdom and France would fight together against the Germans, they were at each others throats. Quite ironic, really. Anyways, the Fashoda Incident really has potential to blow up into a World War radically different from our own. So, AH.com, what do you think would happen if a war broke out over the Fashoda Incident? What sides would the various other countries fall under?
 
France would have to display Whilhelm II levels of diplomatic incompetence to let Fashoda spiral into war. Anyway, France will lose, Germany or Italy may try to take advantage to settle a territorial dispute. France will probably suffer the loss of a colony or two.
 
The Fashoda incident was a serious diplomatic incident, which could have led to skirmishes.....but I think having it lead to a major war is not very plausibel, hence the matter of dispute really was quite insignificant.

In order for this to escalate IMHO, you need to have either the British or French doing some sort of large-scale provocation, leading to some symbolic casualties or/and having one of the nations starting to seek German support somehow, in order to raise the stakes, and not having any of the nations willing to back down.
 
One could bring up those same issues with OTL's WWI. I mean, why would the UK, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, and the Ottomans get in a dispute between Serbia and A-H? No one would be that stupid, right? ;)
 
One could bring up those same issues with OTL's WWI. I mean, why would the UK, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, and the Ottomans get in a dispute between Serbia and A-H? No one would be that stupid, right? ;)

Very stupid! ;)...but then again there is the whole Slavic element relating Serbia to Russia, as well as a number of geographic and historic aspects, which just isn't really a big thing in Fashoda. :)
 
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