How hot can the Cold War get without turning into full on nuclear war.

well I see some of the Cold War rhetoric is back

As to the history of it.... MacArthur wanted to use nukes against the PRC, nukes were considered seriously to help the French out in Indochina, and in 1973 both the Soviets and the US went on alert (Defcon 3 in the case of the US, whatever the Soviets called the same thing in their vocabulary)

Really just about any serious crisis, and there were several, just about one a decade really (although more in the 50s) when the shooting could have started if someone or both sides for that matter miscalculated.

My own opinion is that every candidate for the office of the President of the United States should have to watch "Threads" (look it up if you are unfamiliar, the most horrifying television show I have ever seen), and so should Putin.

If a major conventional shooting war started at any point, it is anyone's guess if the plans to use nuclear weapons actually were put into effect. Panic, miscalculation and outright foolishness have a long history in war and history is littered with examples of things slipping out of control.

After all, most of the experts were convinced that World War I, the American Civil War and many other conflicts would be short wars and ask the Japanese how well plans work out.
 
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