Moscow: Eight decades after the United States struck Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki with nuclear bombs, the world is beginning to witness the same shadows returning. Cities have not fallen, but the signs of danger are hard to ignore. The Doomsday Clock has moved closer to midnight. The message is that the world is entering dangerous territory once more.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has made another adjustment. The hands of the symbolic clock now sit at just 89 seconds to midnight. This is the closest it has ever been. The shift reflects the rise in nuclear threats, the erosion of global trust and the silence between major powers. The tension between the United States, Russia and China continues to grow.
Rebecca Heinrichs, a nuclear expert at the Hudson Institute, while speaking to Fox News, said the United States is now facing two nuclear rivals at the same time. Russia and China are preparing, upgrading, building and working together. The situation has no precedent.
The Cold War involved one major adversary. Today, there are two. The pressure feels heavier. The stakes seem higher. China is increasing its nuclear investments. Russia is making threats more frequently. These developments are not accidental. They are strategic. They are part of long-term planning.
In January, a team of scientists moved the Doomsday Clock forward again. The decision came after careful review. The experts included nuclear analysts, security leaders and geopolitical researchers. Their findings pointed to a single truth. The world has reached a tipping point. The sense of urgency is real.
The growing danger does not come from North Korea or Iran. The focus lies on three countries, Russia, China and the United States. All three are expanding their nuclear programmes and moving toward a future without clear rules. The boundaries that once existed are now fading.
Russia has withdrawn from arms control agreements. China is building up its stockpile of warheads. The United States is signalling a readiness to modernise its arsenal. These shifts suggest a belief. Some leaders think that a limited nuclear exchange could be controlled. Many experts disagree. They see that belief as the biggest risk of all.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists began its work in 1945. The group was created by scientists from the Manhattan Project. The clock they designed was never just a timepiece. It became a symbol, served as a warning and showed how close humanity stood to self-destruction.
Heinrichs explained the real challenge. The number of weapons matters, but not the most. The mindset behind their use matters more. Russia has already changed its tone. Its leaders talk about nuclear weapons as tools of pressure. These words lower the threshold and reshape the risks.
There is still a way forward. It begins with clarity and strength. Russia must understand that threats will not bring success. The United States must prepare responses that are measured and firm. The world must protect nuclear peace through purpose and resolve. The goal is simple. The stakes are not.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news and world News on Zee News.