Humanities education gets into such a dire state, nobody will understand Roman numerals anymore. WW V will be followed by WW C and WW X--and yes, in that order, alas.
Have you heard the argument that the Cold War was WWIII and the War on Terror was WWIV? Can't say I'm a fan of that argument—the Cold War and War on Terror are categorically different than the world wars, and from each other—but it means WWV is right on schedule.
Periodization is fairly arbitrary — it's always about what argument you're trying to make with it. I sort of like Hobsbawm's argument that 1914-1991 was basically one continuous conflict that took occasional breaks and should be regarded as a singular event (the "short 20th century").
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don't ask
It didn't work, and looks even odder from today's vantage point.