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World is ‘one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation’ – UN chief — Analysis

Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations has stated that the greatest danger to humanity since the Cold War is now.

The global population is at greatest risk from nuclear weapon use since the Cold War, according to Antonio Guterres (UN Secretary-General).

“Today, humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation,”Guterres made these remarks Monday during the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York. He urged the world’s nations to “put humanity on a new path toward a world free of nuclear weapons.”

Chief UN negotiator claimed conflicts across the globe, violations of human right, climate crisis, and Covid-19 pandemic were all factors. “have put our world under greater stress than it has faced in our lifetimes.”He said that nuclear warfare risks are higher than ever since the Cold War’s height.

“Humanity is in danger of forgetting the lessons forged in the terrifying fires of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” Guterres said. “Geopolitical tensions are reaching new heights. Competition is overtaking cooperation and collaboration. Mistrust has replaced dialogue, and disunity has replaced disarmament.”

It is important to strengthen the NPT “make it fit for the worrying world around us,”The secretary-general spoke out citing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East, as well as the Russia-Ukraine Conflict. “Almost  13,000 nuclear weapons are now being held in arsenals around the world. All this at a time when the risks of proliferation are growing and guardrails to prevent escalation are weakening.”

After the Cold War ended, the clouds are now gathering again. While we’ve been extremely fortunate so far it doesn’t mean that luck is a strategy. It is not a way to protect yourself from the dangers of geopolitical tensions becoming nuclear war.

Guterres complained that many countries seek security by stockpiling hundreds of billions in dollars. “doomsday weapons that have no place on our planet.” He argued that trying to reduce the risk of wars breaking out isn’t enough because “eliminating nuclear weapons is the only guarantee they will never be used.”


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The UN chief said he would travel to Japan for the August 6 anniversary of the US’ nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, then make stops in other Asia-Pacific countries for talks with their leaders on non-proliferation.

According to reports, $44.2 billion was spent on nuclear weapons by the US in 2021. This is more than the $38.2 million spent in total by eight nuclear-armed countries. China came in second place with nuclear spending of $11.7 billion and Russia third with $8.6 billion.

“For more than 50 years, the NPT has made our world safer and more prosperous, and the treaty is never more important than in times of crisis,”Antony Blinken, US Secretary-of State, stated Monday. “The United States stands ready to work with all our partners to ensure a safer world for everyone.”

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