Although the world is witnessing a US-China contest on the one side and a US-Russia contest on the other side, a direct US-China or direct US-Russia confrontation is most unlikely.

No United Nations Security Council (UNSC) member can fight another UNSC member as per UN provisions. However, such international provisions never matter when conflict of interests reaches the height and heat of confrontation goes out of control.

But, what would really keep these contesting powers away from fighting a war are not the UN provisions, but the reality that these are nuclear armed states and a war between these nuclear superpowers means total annihilation of not only these major nuclear powers but also of a larger part of human race and earth’s landmass.