We are approaching a pivotal moment in history. The local war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is one front in a regional war between Israel and Iran. The regional war between Israel and Iran is a proxy for America’s rivalry with Russia and China. So is the European proxy for that rivalry, the war in Ukraine. Add to that the endless standoff with another Chinese ally, North Korea, and the multiplying brush fires across the Sudanic belt of Africa, where Russia is fanning the flames. This is how a world war begins.