Quoting Reuters :
“The scientists who mind the Doomsday Clock moved it two minutes closer to midnight on Wednesday -- symbolizing the annihilation of civilization and adding the perils of global warming for the first time.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which created the Doomsday Clock in 1947 to warn the world of the dangers of nuclear weapons, advanced the clock to five minutes until midnight. It was the first adjustment of the clock since 2002.
We stand at the brink of a second nuclear age," the bulletin's board of directors said in a statement.
They pointed to
North Korea's first nuclear test,
Iran's nuclear ambitions, U.S. flirtation with "bunker buster" nuclear bombs, the continued presence of 26,000 American and Russian nuclear weapons and inadequate security for nuclear materials.”
And here’s my analysis :
This prediction is by an extremely RESPONSIBLE, MATURE organization. The world would do well to heed its warning.
We are indeed at the brink of a Second Nuclear Age. A second escalation of nuclear armaments, by certain irresponsible powers. Yes, when it all started USA & Soviet Union too lacked maturity. But the 5 (or 7) nuclear powers DID stand the test of time. After the terrible catastrophes of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, there were no usage of nukes.
But now we have a nightmare scenario of nukes in the hands of destabilized Islamic fundamentalists.
N. Korea has a deterrent in the form of China. But still it poses a grave threat to Japan with its Taepodong missile. (And soon Taepodong III & other variants can reach India or mainland USA). I believe the Indian bureaucracy is still sleeping on this piece of information.
But Iran poses a graver threat. Its president openly vows to annihilate Israel. I think that other countries are more at risk than Israel. Any guarantee that its nukes can’t go “eastwards” ? Israel has an excellent defence system. But what if Iran nukes “Sunni part” of Iraq after the US forces have left?
Another destabilizing factor is the prescence of “dirty bombs”. Some have even been acquired by the Mafia. These guys acquire it at a cheap price, and hold on to it. They wait to sell it at a high price to global terrorists. Some say few are in “global conflict hotspots”
Moving this clock, which is symbolic of the proximity of mankind with its own annihilation, is done by people who really do their research.
WE SHOULD DO EVERYTHING, AS RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS OF THIS WORLD, TO REVERSE THIS DANGEROUS NUCLEAR WEAPONS ESCALATION.
“The scientists who mind the Doomsday Clock moved it two minutes closer to midnight on Wednesday -- symbolizing the annihilation of civilization and adding the perils of global warming for the first time.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which created the Doomsday Clock in 1947 to warn the world of the dangers of nuclear weapons, advanced the clock to five minutes until midnight. It was the first adjustment of the clock since 2002.
We stand at the brink of a second nuclear age," the bulletin's board of directors said in a statement.
They pointed to
North Korea's first nuclear test,
Iran's nuclear ambitions, U.S. flirtation with "bunker buster" nuclear bombs, the continued presence of 26,000 American and Russian nuclear weapons and inadequate security for nuclear materials.”
And here’s my analysis :
This prediction is by an extremely RESPONSIBLE, MATURE organization. The world would do well to heed its warning.
We are indeed at the brink of a Second Nuclear Age. A second escalation of nuclear armaments, by certain irresponsible powers. Yes, when it all started USA & Soviet Union too lacked maturity. But the 5 (or 7) nuclear powers DID stand the test of time. After the terrible catastrophes of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, there were no usage of nukes.
But now we have a nightmare scenario of nukes in the hands of destabilized Islamic fundamentalists.
N. Korea has a deterrent in the form of China. But still it poses a grave threat to Japan with its Taepodong missile. (And soon Taepodong III & other variants can reach India or mainland USA). I believe the Indian bureaucracy is still sleeping on this piece of information.
But Iran poses a graver threat. Its president openly vows to annihilate Israel. I think that other countries are more at risk than Israel. Any guarantee that its nukes can’t go “eastwards” ? Israel has an excellent defence system. But what if Iran nukes “Sunni part” of Iraq after the US forces have left?
Another destabilizing factor is the prescence of “dirty bombs”. Some have even been acquired by the Mafia. These guys acquire it at a cheap price, and hold on to it. They wait to sell it at a high price to global terrorists. Some say few are in “global conflict hotspots”
Moving this clock, which is symbolic of the proximity of mankind with its own annihilation, is done by people who really do their research.
WE SHOULD DO EVERYTHING, AS RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS OF THIS WORLD, TO REVERSE THIS DANGEROUS NUCLEAR WEAPONS ESCALATION.
