International security

Could Russia REALLY go to war with NATO?

A new book by General Sir Richard Shirreff, NATO's deputy supreme allied commander for Europe between 2011 and 2014, evokes a potential scenario that leads to a devastating future war with Russia.
The book, "2017 War with Russia," is clearly labelled as a work of fiction.
But it portrays a fairly convincing manufactured incident that the fictional president of Russia uses as a causus belli for a clash with NATO.
In his account, Russia rapidly expands its war aims by invading the Baltic States, which are NATO members, and world war ensues.
Perhaps more worryingly, the author has since told BBC Radio 4's "Today" programme that such a conflict is "entirely plausible."