The unimaginable can occur. That is a notion at once banal and perennially useful to recall. … Events cascade. … Let us indulge in dark imaginings, then, in the cause of prudence.
It is a reminder that a multipolar world in a time of transition, when popular resentments are rising over joblessness and inequality, is a dangerous place indeed.
We should not lightly discard a well-grounded pessimism or the treaties it has produced.
Source: Yes, It Could Happen Again – The Atlantic
“Unbalanced multipolar systems feature the most dangerous distribution of power, mainly because potential hegemons are likely to get into wars with all of the other great powers in the system.”
— John Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics