the only context i wanna see people talk about "World War III" is Abdullah Öcalan's theory of it, which states that it is not something that will occur, but rather has been occurring in the Middle East since the 90s since the fall of the USSR led Western capitalist powers to jump at the opportunity to control the area and its resources, and prevent the rise of any new social movements that could replace "real socialism" as a viable threat to capitalist hegemony. WWII is defined by
low-intensity, protracted proxy warfare (rather than troops fighting troops, states use private mercenary armies, religious-fascist militias, and advanced technology like drones; to quote op, the war is "so abstract and foreign.")
economic warfare (the use of tariffs, import bans, and sanctions to weaken enemies, starve populations, and force submission; again, see op: "why WOULD the US government stop being blindly aggressive when the only costs are financial?")
flexible alliances (friends and enemies change rapidly based on capitalist interests; states like the US and Russia might fight each other indirectly in Ukraine, but coordinate their military activities in Syria)
reliance on media as ideological tool (ideology and media played a role in the previous world wars, but in WWIII it is central to how the war is being acted out; when there are limited battles and the fighting is done through distant drone warfare and proxy militias, media takes center stage, especially when that media is global rather than local)
biological and chemical warfare (tactical nuclear weapons, attacks on nuclear sites, chemical arms, and epidemics/pandemics are integral tools to manipulate people, cause terror, disrupt social cohesion; technology is used to cause destruction, terror, and to divide people)
this theory was born out of the actual experiences of people in the Middle East, particularly marginalized groups like the Kurdish people who have faced the brunt of both state repression & violence from within the region (by Turkey, Iran, etc.) as well as from foreign imperialist powers, and Öcalan specifically focuses on how this affects the women of the Middle East and how imperial violence cannot be separated from patriarchal violence. this theory has also been applied to the imperialist exploitation of South America.
this quote in particular really sticks with me:
This war strikes at the very foundations of what makes us a society. It seeks to destroy the social fabric, our communal bond, to isolate us from each other and to empty our existence of meaning. It reduces us to mere bodies for exploitation and consumption. It is a metaphysical war of a system that wants to create a materialistic world.
It is difficult to tell people who are taking bullets in their bodies made in the USA, Germany, Israel or Russia that this war is not yet global. Although the Leviathan of our age, the capitalist system, is more cunning in hiding its intentions, this does not make it less true that is eating us from the inside. The veins of this monster, the trade and transport routes, are expanding through mega-projects and the same corporations seek to reach all parts of the world, not hesitating to eliminate an entire people if necessary, to achieve their goals. In Abya Yala [Indigenous term for South America], this reality is more tangible than anywhere else on the planet.
It’s true that World War III is taking place in the Middle East in a unique way. However, certain particularities distinguish this war from classic military-political aspects. Although defining it as a clash of civilizations is correct, its content is often incorrectly interpreted. Frequently, not enough attention is paid to its historical and social dimensions—what side particular forces are on and their methods and goals are not clear. Even though there is plenty of talk about various plans and projects, the war in question appears to lack a plan and to almost be running on its own steam. We are, so to speak, faced with a war that aims to create chaos.
if anyone wants to read more on this, here / here / and here
TL;DR op is right. USAmericans fear the idea of a future WWIII because we are ignorant of the reality that our state, and related imperialist states, have been waging a war on the world for decades, with the goal of causing chaos and destruction and death for the sake of preserving capitalism, the destruction of nature, and the monopoly over power. any fearmongering about a future WWIII is a distraction from the urgent reality that people around the world have been living and dying in for years upon years.