I hold out rational hope that it won't happen for one simple reason: power disparities. The USA is orders of magnitude more powerful than any rival, which means they can largely keep the peace. In the previous world wars, there was relative parity in power levels between belligerents. That's not the case today. If the EU keeps spiraling and continuing to chimp out, the USA can ultimately straighten them out
I see it the other way around. The U.S. has lost the ability to practice diplomacy—look at the collapse of talks around Ukraine or its confrontational stance toward China. Instead of defusing conflicts, it escalates them—whether in Ukraine, Iran, or elsewhere. Worryingly, the EU seems to be following that path. We see European leaders praising the strikes on Iran, while refusing to seriously address the Israeli question. This suggests a shift: not toward peacekeeping, but toward militarized alignment.
It reminds me of something personal. I had two friends: one was aggressive and erratic, the other calm and principled—at first. But once they started spending time together, the calm one began defending the aggressor, not out of reason, but resentment and loyalty. That experience taught me how proximity and pressure can drag even rational actors into dangerous choices. I see Europe doing just that.
When leaders like Mark Rutte (Netherlands) and Friedrich Merz (Germany) openly cheerlead war and face no consequence or pushback, we can’t pretend their views are outliers. As Europe builds up its military and seriously discusses sending French and German troops into Ukraine, we must accept that we’re not walking toward peace—we’re climbing a stairway to heaven, with every step another escalation.