I agree it is much different than the 80s, living close to Woodford as a child I got a good idea what it was all about when someone explained exactly what Vulcans were for and what they carried and why, as a result spent most of my youth shitting it and expecting mushroom clouds on a daily basis. I would not have been to pleased to have been told I would see Russian fighters over the same airfield just a few years later, I certainly wouldnt have believed that I would be sat in a Russian TU95 bear getting pissed up on vodka with the crew.
As for Threads I watched that again just a few weeks ago and its still scary. If you really want to destroy a good pair of undies do search and find the documentary "The brink of the apocalypse" which as well as having some good 80s music it covers alot of what was going on and I promise it will put the fear of god up you. It does cover the shooting down of the Korean airliner that you mention. When you watch it think back to what you were doing back in November 83 and think how completely oblivious you were to the fact we were potentially seconds away from a full blown nuclear war on account of some clouds over the American mid west.
I think now the threat is different, complacency greed and denial are the issues now that could push the world into global conflict. It only takes the global economy to collapse and the whole lot will go up.
Little wars can lead to big wars, even in Europe that danger gets bigger by the day, where despite the endless drivel spouted by the left wing and the pc brigade the ingredients for those small regional conflicts are added to on a daily basis. In ever so "modern" countries like France Germany and the UK societies are becoming more divided, the gaps between the have and have nots become wider, and those in authority seem completely out of touch, and interested only in themselves and their own.
It is very different to the 80s but in many ways just as dangerous if not more so, I dont think there is a feel of imminent world war right now, but I do believe thats exactly where we are heading and there would seem to be little sign that any of the worlds politicians have the slightest idea or inclination to change the course in which we are heading.