Risk of Disastrous Nuclear Conflict Higher Than Ever Before

PeopleDiplomats ♦ Published: January 25, 2022; 12:23 ♦ (Vindobona)

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists kept the "doomsday clock" set at "100 seconds to midnight" yet again this year, arguing that current geopolitical tensions have put the risk of nuclear conflict higher than ever before. Read what has the scientists so worried and what Foreign Minister Schallenberg said about the threat.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg: "It is a misconception that nuclear deterrence guarantees lasting security and stability; an extremely dangerous, if not irresponsible, gamble with the security of all mankind." / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / United States Department of Energy, Public domain

The “doomsday clock” from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was left at “100 seconds to midnight” for the second year in a row after being changed to this setting in 2020.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg reacted to the decision by the scientists to keep the clock on this setting, “The ‘doomsday clock’ is still at 100 seconds to midnight–the international community has not managed to reduce the extremely high risk of a nuclear conflict. This is a wake-up call: we must finally stop the nuclear arms race.” …