Absolutely nobody wants open war between nuclear superpowers.
Endless, nebulous, low-intensity wars in third-world nations, or proxy wars like Korea and Vietnam, sure. Those feed jingoism without endangering the ruling class or their interests. What you're talking about is very different. Even the most callous leader really doesn't want to find out what happens if they start World War III.
Why do people think I'm asking for war with China? Obviously nobody wants it but also you shouldn't bury your head in the sand and ignore the consequences of the US and China separating their economies. Trade and business between the US and China is what has been preventing any new war. We were at war with China in Korea and that was fairly recently. It would be a proxy war and would probably happen in Taiwan, Korea, etc. with both the US and China arming and supporting different sides
Endless, nebulous, low-intensity wars in third-world nations, or proxy wars like Korea and Vietnam, sure. Those feed jingoism without endangering the ruling class or their interests. What you're talking about is very different. Even the most callous leader really doesn't want to find out what happens if they start World War III.