There have been a few articles recently about how Russia, Iran, N Korea, China are pooling weapons/closing ranks. Though surely clearer heads in China see the economic dangers, the totalitarian/nationalistic/paranoid minds in these four countries may create a late 30s kind of fait-accompli (ie lobbing of missiles into Israel, Taiwan, US Military bases).

All that said, would this WW III be a missile and drone orgy? Will the battlefield targets become utilities and population centers as much as military targets? If its missiles, the West clearly has an advantage with its superior submarine capabilities.

Short term, the bad guys may have the drone advantage. The big question, how will US carriers/destroyers/fighters hold up?

It all begins to look like WW II, if it were to begin today...the West has monetary, alliance, and positioning advantages (possibly long term industrial advantage). China would be wise to wait, but hotheads may not allow that. US (Biden etc) wants to do gentle pushback, but that may soon not be an option.

If Russia were to unleash their first tactical nuke, it would get interesting...I have to believe they are outgunned and they know it, banking on the West's collective indecision and humanistic attitudes (and a Trump presidency).