I think it might have been a thing I read in one book or study, it might have not been "Survival" but something else and apparently it's not a universally known/accepted thing as I believed. And before anyone says MAD was about "survival" too, MAS (or whatever it was) was, if I remember correctly, more along the lines of open co-operation between blocks, less/no nukes and more/just ICBM defense systems. Basically idea where superpowers co-exist not because they fear the weapons other side has but because they know both side's defenses are strong enough not to even bother launching nuclear attack. And of course just, you know, co-operation and peaceful co-existence and stuff.
I'm saying all this out of my head and thus it's all pretty vague. Can't remember where I read that as said (I have an idea though) or even if I did. Could be I just mixed bunch of stuff.
You do know how Europe functioned before nuclear weapons were invented, right? There were wars every single generation or two. ICBM defense systems would basically make it so the nukes don't exist, thus reverting the situation back to the past. This means that the regular wars are also back. No amount of political alliances and kind words will make peace last long in this situation!
Yeah and Italy was split into several city states, as was the HRE. Nearly all of it was due to monarchs wanting someone land or something or other.
Things are WAY different than it was in the 19th, 18th, 17th, nth centuries, the United Nations didn't exist, France and England (these guys fought a LOT) have buried the hatchet so to speak.
Spain and Portugal lost their empires long ago, they have no reason to war with anybody.
Germany went through two world wars, got chewed up and spat back out, twice, I think they've probably worked out their warmongering.
Austria isn't the empire they once were.
Italy is one state now.
The Balkans, well, uh, theres a reason why it's called a powderkeg.....
Sure there are the ghosts of small territorial disputes, but nobody needs to go to war over them.
Also, one main reason why WWI embroiled all of Europe is because of a clusterfuck of alliances and an alliance cascade.