Does Sarah Paine think the world is heading toward World War III?

Sarah Paine told Steven Bartlett that if current trends continue, the future looks like World War III. Wars are easy to start and hard to end, she said, because the losing side keeps doubling down. She does not think nuclear deterrence keeps the world safe, noting Russian drones entering the airspace of NATO members near Bulgaria and Romania, and said a Russian invasion of Poland would start a world war.

Paine said the generation that remembered World War II was careful not to trigger NATO's Article 5, and today's leaders are not.
Paine said she fears Donald Trump could use a tactical nuclear weapon on Iran.

▸In their words

“It looks like World War III.” Sarah Paine · at 1:02:18 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett (2026-10-29). Read the whole episode summary →

▸More from this episode

Q1Why does Sarah Paine call the Iran war one of the most incompetent wars in history?Q2What does Sarah Paine mean by continentalist powers and the maritime world order?Q4Why does Sarah Paine reject the idea that NATO expansion caused the Ukraine war?Q5What did Sarah Paine say about reports of a Trump deal with Putin for diesel?Q6Can Ukraine win the war against Russia, according to Sarah Paine?Q7What does Sarah Paine think happens in Russia after Putin dies?Q8What did Sarah Paine say about the US midterms and Pete Hegseth?

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