A new world war can begin or has already begun?

Abstract

The current problem of the essence of world wars is considered. Keywords: international relations, world war, World War I, World War II, Cold War, Russian-Ukrainian war, classical and post-classical world wars. The author, analyzing the differences between the First and Second World Wars and the Cold War between the free and communist worlds, concludes that world wars are divided into classical and postclassical. The transition from classical to post-classical world wars is explained by the emergence of atomic weapons. Based on a study of the current state of international relations, it is argued that a new world war in its post-classical form has already begun. Its trigger is determined by full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine.