Prior to the wild talks and rumours that Russia could instigate World War III due to recent actions in Ukraine and its general posturing, bestselling author Tom Clancy had actually floated three global war scenarios - one of them pointing to Moscow as a key actor.

Actually written by long time Clancy co-author Mark Greaney (Clancy died October 2013), the three spy thrillers below offer glimpses of the situations, personalities and conflicts that could escalate into shooting war among world powers.

Full Force and Effect

The newest of the three titles and set for December 2014 release date, Full Force and Effect points to North Korea as the starter of hostilities. Ruled by a young strongman, the impoverished nation saw its fortune changed with the discovery of vast mineral deposit that theoretically could fund economic recovery and progress.

Instead, the North Korean president opted to pick up a fight with the United States and part of the series of maneuvers prior to the final nuclear showdown is the assassination of the U.S. president - Jack Ryan.

Greaney appears to build the character of his book's main anti-hero after Kim Jong Un, who as North Korea's supreme leader was the recent subject of international media coverage for his alleged brutal repression and eventual elimination of regime critics and rivals.

Threat Vector

China is President Ryan's nemesis in Threat Vector. In the book, Beijing is caught in serious economic woes that prompted the Asian giant to initiate moves against America. Chinese Special Forces operators that infiltrated the U.S. and sophisticated cyber-attacks were employed to undermine the American government and its economic might.

The agenda was to render Washington weak enough to prevent it from intervening and allow China's expansion plans - primarily the annexation of South China Sea territories and the 'taking back' of Taiwan.

Greaney weaved together a plot that saw an ambitious and nationalistic Chinese military general working under the nose of a president that the former perceived as weakling and inept.

Command Authority

Greaney presented Valeri Volodin as Russia's charismatic leader that incredibly shares many traits of the country's current president - Vladimir Putin. Like Putin, Volodin rose from the ranks of Russia's intelligence service before ascending to the nation's presidency.

And Volodin is staunchly anti-West. Part of his nationalistic agenda is the not-so-secret intrusion of Ukrainian borders, likely leading to the country's invasion - eerily mirroring the current situation in Europe that many pundits fear could spark World War III if left unchecked.

Command Authority also depicts Volodin as a determined bully - ruthlessly intimidating foes and neighbouring states by throwing around his economic and political weight. Such character reflects most of the reported attributions for the sitting Russian president, basing on numerous news reports.