If you aren't frightened yet then you haven't been paying attention.

[davidthegnome]

14. I think war is unlikely, at this time.

One thing to consider is Russia's rather severe economic issues... frankly, I'm not convinced that they have the funding to maintain any sort of military campaign against a major power. Another issue, which perhaps should concern us more... is the age of their weapon systems - and particularly their nuclear weapons. Most of them probably will simply not work. This is not like the days of the cold war, Russia has neither the economic power, nor the military technology to wage war against the west with any level of success.

I do not think they will attempt to do anything without both financial and military support from China - and the US and our allies may be rattling the sabers while Putin shakes his - but...

The time in which major powers could go to war with each other without mutually assured destruction has passed. No one, not even Putin, wants to risk that.

A ground invasion of Russia would be worse than a nightmare - and a ground invasion of the US... if they could land here to begin with, would be the same. I suppose there are motivations, benefits to be gained in dominating some of the world's resources, more land and so on... but none of these powers involved are stupid enough to actually go to war. Not yet. If Trump becomes President, we may have to rethink that. If Putin does, somehow, moronically invade Poland (I suspect Putin is too smart to do this), we may have to rethink that.

Massing on the borders though? Doesn't mean much. Nations in conflict (though not at war) have been doing this since before the Roman Empire was built. It only rarely leads to actual war.