Possible but certainly not plausible. Escalation to that extent is not only contrary to, but actually invalidates, the objectives of all parties involved. To es

Possible but certainly not plausible. Escalation to that extent is not only contrary to, but actually invalidates, the objectives of all parties involved. To escalate to a nuclear conflict, one's goal must be annihilation of large swaths of population. There is no such thing as a "limited" nuclear engagement when tens of thousands of such weapons exist in a ready-to-launch state. Mutually Assured Destruction it very much is... or to quote an excellent 1980's movie: "The only winning move is not to play."