When two great nations are economic rivals, war is usually the result.
Cold wars occur when nuclear weapons make all-out conflict suicidal. Of course, that only happens when both sides are smart enough to realize that and do everything they can to avoid conflict, as did the USA and USSR in the last century. Unfortunately, the only sure way to avoid conflict is when both sides are convinced they can't win.
Tell your 17 year old the best study of how wars can erupt accidentally, even when both sides are doing everything they can to avoid them, is Barbara Tuchmann's "The Guns of August".
It was required reading when I was in college, and one of the great influences on my thought along with Morrises "The Naked Ape" and Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint".
Current Events » in reply to Cold War 2
Cold War have a way of heating up unexpectedly.
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- The Second Horseman