Sana’a – Saba:
It seems that the policies of Western nations, led by the United States, are exacerbating strategic tensions in volatile regions, increasing the risk of a nuclear conflict with other nuclear powers in the worst-case scenario.
This comes as researchers recently revealed highlights the growing role of nuclear weapons globally, as nuclear states modernize their arsenals amid deteriorating geopolitical relations. Researchers have urged world leaders to "step back and reflect."
In the same vein, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported that nuclear weapons are playing an increasingly significant role as nuclear powers continue upgrading their stockpiles. Efforts to control nuclear arms have suffered major setbacks due to conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, SIPRI warned, calling for global powers to reconsider their approaches.
In its annual report, SIPRI emphasized that diplomatic efforts to control nuclear weapons are being challenged by rising international tensions. Russia, for example, suspended its participation in the 2010 New START Treaty in February 2023, the last remaining strategic arms limitation agreement between Russia and the United States. In May, Russia conducted tactical nuclear drills near the Ukrainian border.
Wilfred Wan, director of the weapons of mass destruction program at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said in a statement: "Since the Cold War, nuclear weapons have not played a prominent role in international relations."
SIPRI noted that as of January 2023, there were approximately 12,121 nuclear warheads worldwide, of which about 9,585 were operationally available, and 2,100 remained on high alert for deployment on ballistic missiles. Most of these warheads belong to Russia and the United States, which together control nearly 90% of the global arsenal. However, for the first time, China is believed to have some warheads on operational alert.
Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said: "While the global total of nuclear warheads continues to decline as Cold War-era weapons gradually dismantle, we are unfortunately seeing annual increases in the number of active nuclear warheads." He pointed out that this trend is likely to continue, and may accelerate in the coming years, describing it as "very worrying."
In the same context, the Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, during his meeting with Russian Defense Minister, Andrei Belousov, condemned the West's permission to use long-range weapons to launch attacks inside the Russian depth.
Kim Jong-Un noted that the action was a "direct military intervention." "The United States and the West have pushed the Ukrainian authorities to attack Russian territory using their long-range weapons. Russia must take measures that force hostile forces to pay the price," according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
The Korean leader also reiterated his support for Russia's efforts to defend its territorial integrity against "acts of imperialist hegemony."
Russia's ambassador to Britain and Northern Ireland, Andrei Kilin, warned that the UK's policy towards Ukraine and increased arms supplies could lead to strategic risks and, in the worst case, to a nuclear power struggle.
"I would like to point out that the British completely ignored all warning signals from our side and moved to sharp escalatory measures to further deepen the Ukrainian crisis, and this of course is fraught with increasing strategic risks and, in the worst case, a conflict between nuclear powers We believe that Britain, like other countries, is now involved in an armed conflict against us with Ukraine," the ambassador told Rossiya-24 television.
He noted that the launch of the Orishnik had made a "very dangerous" impression on the British people, although talk continued that London had been aware of such weapons for a long time.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had issued an appeal in which he stated that Ukraine on November 19 launched attacks on targets in the Kursk and Bryansk provinces, using US Atacams long-range missiles and British Storm Shadow long-range missiles.
In response to the use of US and British weapons, on November 21, Russia launched a joint attack on the Ukrainian military-industrial complex - a large industrial complex that produces missiles and weapons, in Dnepropetrovsk.
The Wall Street Journal said the Cold War pledge by major nuclear powers to pursue disarmament seemed "less realistic" than ever.
Nearly 60 years ago, US President John F. Kennedy warned that the world could see an increase in the number of nuclear states to more than 20 by 1975, and although those fears were exaggerated, with only nine nuclear states currently, the global nuclear non-proliferation regime is at greater risk than it has been since the Cold War, according to the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi.
The threat of a nuclear confrontation, which seemed unrealistic a decade ago, is no longer ruled out.
The end of the Cold War heralded a shake off the "nightmare" of nuclear weapons, as previously rival governments agreed to get rid of nuclear warheads and cooperated to curb the spread of weapons, but that hope is now fading, according to the Wall Street Journal.
One of two major nuclear arms control treaties by the United States and Russia has collapsed, and the other limiting the number of nuclear weapons deployed by Russia and the United States expires in early 2026.
E.M
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