Foothills of a New World War

Small, regionally limited conflicts, targeted assassinations, and proxy clashes (Syria, Ukraine, Iran strikes) can function as early stages — or 'foothills' — of a larger great‑power war when they harden alliances and normalize cross‑border escalation. Framing episodic military actions collectively shifts the policy question from managing individual crises to preventing systemic entanglement among major powers. — Treating disparate recent conflicts as a single emergent process reframes public debate and policy planning toward escalation control and alliance management rather than crisis‑by‑crisis responses.