
UnHerd with Freddie Sayers The stage is set for a new WWI
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Apr 30, 2026 Odd Arne Westad, Yale historian of the Cold War, outlines why today mirrors the late 19th/early 20th century rather than a Cold War. He explores multipolar rivalry, regional contests around Ukraine and Taiwan, technological-driven strategic fear, alliance pressures and how miscalculation could cascade into wider conflict.
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Today's Rivalry Is Multipolar Not Cold War
- The present rivalry is not a Cold War but a multipolar contest resembling the late 19th century.
- Odd Arne Westad points to multipolarity, shared economic integration, and lack of ideological divide as key differences from the Cold War.
Structural Parallels With Pre 1914 Era
- The world mirrors pre-1914 through a rising power, contested regional order, and retreating globalization.
- Westad links China to rising Germany, regional contest in East Asia, and receding globalization fueling nationalism.
Elites Were Close Yet War Came Anyway
- Pre-1914 elites were socially integrated yet still went to war despite ambassadors being friends and royal cousins.
- Westad recalls Kaiser Wilhelm as Queen Victoria's favourite grandson who still led Germany into conflict.






