TODAY'S COLD WAR "INFINITELY MORE COMPLEX"

Renowned historian challenges comparisons between the Cold War and the modern world, where the stakes, players and rules of engagement are multidimensional

- LOUIS HARDIMAN

The modern world has returned to the East-West tensions of yesteryear. Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's continued aggressive gesturing have angered the West, while the US government's tariffs have escalated into a global trade war. Many of the world's academic, political and media figures have named this era a 'New Cold War', but does this comparison stand up to scrutiny?

According to Vladimir Zubok, not really: "Some elements [of the Cold War] are still here - apprehension and fears of military clash - but it's a different era."

Zubok is professor of International History at the London School of Economics and a leading Cold War historian. Speaking with History of War, he stresses the importance of avoiding direct comparisons between the two eras.

"During the Cold War, ideology mattered hugely," he says. "Behind ideology was not just Marxism and capitalism but the world's future. It was clear that if communism would prevail over Asia, Africa and Latin America, Anglo-Saxon liberal capitalism would have no future."

Meanwhile, in the 21st century, Zubok argues that the ideological factors shaping the world have been replaced by trade and the global economic system.