Jumping to the conclusion that any direct confrontation with Russia will automatically lead to an apocalyptic global conflict is grossly premature, and plays into Putin’s hands.
However unnerving Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is, the fight is a long, long way from the titanic, globe-spanning conflict that would constitute a “world war.”
For Ukraine, this is an existential conflict for national survival. For the rest of the world, this conflict may seem terrifying, but that’s what all wars look like to anyone paying attention up close—especially one involving a nuclear-armed combatant. The world hasn’t seen a high-intensity conflict between two relatively modern militaries in Europe since World War II. Of course this is a shock to the system.
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