Asma Khalid

And today on The Global Story, could we really be on the verge of World War III?

I saw you were described as Professor Emeritus.

Is that the official title they give you if you're retired?

Well, thanks again for joining us.

So we brought you on our show today to discuss a question that I have been hearing raised in recent days.

It is a question I've heard from some listeners.

It's also a question that I've been reading about.

It's been percolating in the atmosphere.

And that is, are we headed to World War III?

Now, Margaret, to be clear, I don't personally think we are, but it is a question people are asking.

And so here at the outset, I want to hear from you.

Do you think it's a relevant question in this moment?

Before we go deeper into this conversation, I think it's worth just making sure we know what we're talking about in terms of the lexicon, the terminology we're using.

You are a historian of war.

And so, Margaret, what exactly is a world war?

Is there an agreed upon definition?

Margaret, we know that you're a historian, not a military analyst, but the context in which we are having this conversation today is the war in the Middle East.

And we wanted to talk to you about how this situation could possibly escalate into a broader war and conversely, how we might avoid it escalating into such a dire world war situation.

And so first, let's talk about scenario one, the path toward World War III.

As we are recording with you, there have been missiles, airstrikes, drone strikes, not just in Iran, but also in Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Azerbaijan, Occupied West Bank, and Cyprus.