Newsweek--yes, it does still exist; it is just an online-only publication now--recently speculated about the possibility of military hostilities between NATO and Russia, in the article,
Stopping Putin: The Military Option:
So far, the West has deployed its economic and diplomatic might to punish and deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from those “additional plans” -- invading the rest of Ukraine.
Yet the West’s strongest option remains untouched: Military action.
While Russia rolled its forces into Crimea, the West clearly has kept its armies confined to barracks. So far the U.S. and its NATO allies have merely offered Ukraine limited military support and have flexed their military muscles in other ways. ...
An estimated 30,000 Russian troops are currently positioned near Ukraine’s eastern border. Russia’s defense minister assured his American counterpart last week that the Russian Army will not move further into Ukraine. But Ukrainians – and many observers elsewhere – fear a Russian invasion is possible. ...
If NATO wanted to wade into a battle with Russia, Moscow would meet a formidable foe. NATO could deploy its rapid response force to halt the Russian advance or provide air support to the beleaguered Ukrainian military.
But military strategists reject those options as profoundly unlikely.
No matter what Russia does in Ukraine – even in the case of a full-scale invasion – there is little chance NATO, or the U.S. acting independent of the alliance, will engage in a shooting war with Russian troops.
Here is a link to the full article:
http://www.newsweek.com/stopping-putin-military-option-238783
