World War III closer than anticipated, according to Yale scholar

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has raised global concerns about the potential for a significant international conflict. Experts, including an American professor, are analyzing the situation and offering their perspectives on the possible timing and implications of such a war.

The question is when this alleged Third World War could come. Timothy Snyder, a history professor at Yale University, gives a clear answer in an article published in Newsweek magazine.

Photo: X - @martenkokk

Timothy Snider, compared the situation in Ukraine in 2024 to that of Czechoslovakia in 1938, however, the difference is unlike Czechoslovakia in 1938, Ukraine has chosen to fight back.

Pictured: The "fuhrer" on the Czech "Maginot Line" in the forest close to Stein-Schenan, October 9, 1938.

To fully understand what Mr. Snyder is saying we need to dust off our history books. Back in 1939, Nazi Germany took Czech resources to strengthen the Germany army, which helped the German army to later invaded Poland, which led to the start of World War II in 1939.

During a conference in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, Mr Snyder said,  "If the Ukrainians give up, or if we give up Ukraine, then it's a different Russia making war in the future."

Snyder continued, "It's a Russia making war with Ukrainian technology, Ukrainian soldiers, from a different geographical position," he added. "Then we're in 1939. We're in 1938 now. In effect, what the Ukrainians are letting us do is letting us extend 1938. They're helping us to stay out of 1939."

In other words, once Ukraine loses the war, Timothy Snyder gives Russia a year to initiate further hostilities against other countries, but this time with greater influence.

In parallel with Timothy Snyder's comments, in response to Emmanuel Macron's threat to send European troops to fight Russia, the Kremlin ordered the mobilization of its armies on the border with Ukraine to prepare for a possible nuclear attack.

Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned of the “unpredictable consequences” of direct intervention by the United States or its allies in the war with Ukraine.

Of course, everyone thinks of nuclear weapons when they hear the Russian president talk about unforeseeable consequences, and as more than one expert has pointed out, a nuclear war would mean the total extinction of humanity as we know it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, aware of the retaining wall that Ukraine has become, has made clear the consequences of his country's defeat: "If Ukraine falls, you will fall too."

It is impossible to give a specific date for the end of the world, but it is worth noting that it is a more than plausible alternative, depending on the course of the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Photo: Unsplash - Gerhard Reus