The serial expulsions of Russian diplomats and spies by Western countries, and Russia’s retaliation, have triggered media speculation about a new Cold War. That speculation has followed conjecture about another coming Cold War, this one between China and the United States, set off by threats of a trade war and ongoing tension between the two countries over maritime rights in Southeast Asia. But for all the hand-wringing about a new Cold War, there simply aren’t the right ingredients for a renewed form of that long-term, existential struggle.
John M. Owen IV
