The USA is the only country to have ever used Nukes against an enemy
and during the 1950s when the US believed that a Nuke war was winnable
it threatened to us Nukes in Korea and later against China over Tiawan
islands:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/us-generals-said-nuclear-bomb-would-tame-mao-g30223nw0Once the US realised that a Nuke war was unwinnable, the Cold War started.
IMO we'll see another Cold War; this time with China .
Also IMO, China realises this and that is why it is shoring up
its global markets (excluding the US & its Allies) via its
OBI and its related foreign investment programs
In the interim both the US & China will have to untangle
their trade relations so that either side can untangle its
industrial supply chains, China with Hi-tech & the USA
with manufactured product such as auto components
& cheap electronics.
Short of war, both sides will try to polarise the world
tradewise and securitywise and it will be a matter of
"may the best man win"
https://www.reuters.com/business/chinas-2021-trade-surplus-with-us-39658-bln-2022-01-14/IMO the US will have to encourage/coerce the EU to shun China
economically (The EC is a potentially a bigger market for China than the USA)
and instead trade exclusively with the USA & its allies.
This would complete the polarisation of the world economically and
potentially bankrupt Aus over time, IMO due to China's huge
BRI membership and its influence within that block.