And you hope you are right but the truth is Putin sees weakness in the US. He doesn’t have to be in a ‘shooting’ war. His proxies are doing that for him. Apparently you forget the Sandinistas and their ilk over the years (Korea, Viet Nam, etc). Putin is a well versed KGB man first last and always. He wants the destruction of all that you hold dear. Because he doesn’t cut off heads on video does not make him less dangerous
Yes, You never turn your back on a Russian, or a Chinese, to be blunt.
And yes, there have been many proxy battles, including the Korean and Vietnamese wars. The Ukraine and Georgia are repeated recent examples.
Central America is another cold war proxy that is still in play.
The Russians see it as payback for Afghanistan. They are not going to let up. You can’t appease them and in all respects, Putin and company have awakened the Bear.
Where it leads...could be anything, depending on how events play out. But in my view, if we don’t stand in his way and engage, war is more likely than less likely as some seem to believe.
History tells us that appeasement with foes like this, is strategic error. They use it to do more and they become absolutely fearless.