It’s the same problem today as it was then. It is actually hard if you’re a democracy answerable to your people.
Are you willing to bet even a 1% chance to trade Los Angeles for Vladivostok? Warsaw for St. Petersburg? Because Putin is certainly willing to play chicken. Obama, Biden and (maybe?) even Trump are not.
Then expect a world full of nuclear armed, partially failing authoritarian countries.
At minimum I fully expect South Korea to go nuclear in the near future. I wouldn’t be surprised if Japan follows.