No, the world isn’t heading toward a new Cold War – it’s closer to the grinding world order collapse of the 1930s

The breakdown of global order in the 1930s resulted in totalitarian leaders pulling the strings. Philippe Clément/Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The past decade and a half has seen upheaval across the globe. The 2008 financial crisis and its fallout, the COVID-19 pandemic and major regional conflicts in Sudan, the Middle East, Ukraine and elsewhere have left residual uncertainty. Added to this is a tense, growing rivalry between the U.S. and its perceived opponents, particularly China.

In response to these jarring times, commentators have often reached for the easy analogy of the post-1945 era to explain geopolitics. The world is, we are told repeatedly, entering a “new Cold War.”