Are we ready for war? Welcome to The i Paper’s opinion series in which our writers tackle a grim question that, until recently, few had thought to consider.

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In the recent Netflix hit film A House of Dynamite, the US military and government scramble to respond to a nuclear missile heading for Chicago and, with it, the seemingly inevitable outbreak of World War Three.

Fortunately for the population of Planet Earth, the chances of a rogue intercontinental ballistic missile, origin unclear, being fired at the West is still a far-fetched scenario.

The doctrine of mutually assured destruction has remained steadfastly in place since the start of the Cold War and after it ended.

No nuclear-armed state will, it is assumed, fire a nuclear weapon at an enemy if it knows the response will be annihilation.

A more realistic scenario, and one that actively troubles senior generals and government officials,........

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