They are testing the likelihood populations will riot if they disagree with the govt.

It appears the likelihood is high (see Iran and France for EU examples).

This summer will be telling in the US.

If the likelihood of riots is high, the probably of WW3 goes up. 

We won't go to war because China is evil or refuses to play along with dividing up the world. We will go to war with China to get everyone on board with the financial reset and to give them plausible deniabilty to exit the Western Hemisphere.