There definitely isn't any going back. But anyone who thinks the Cold War was somehow the "end of history", meaning that WW3 will never happen because it _could

There definitely isn't any going back. But anyone who thinks the Cold War was somehow the "end of history", meaning that WW3 will never happen because it _couldn't_ happen, is clearly engaging in non-systematic thinking. If the rule is "nuclear powers must never fight", then the _only_ possible endgame is one nuclear power threatening all the others until they give up their nuclear weapons. Given that the US has never pursued this strategy, it seems fair to guess they won't in the future. It seems increasingly likely that Putin believes that no one will ever stand up to him. And even if the West doesn't, it's going to end very badly for Russia when China is the only major world power left to oppose him.