Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, January 5th 2023
Posted: 5th January 2023
Jan. 5, 2023
According to US intelligence Iran may be preparing to ship Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine. (Hossein Velayati / CC BY 4.0).
NUCLEAR RISK
Russia, Iran, and North Korea trade arms to get around sanctionsAs Russia comes under expanding Western sanctions, Moscow, Pyongyang, and Tehran all stand to benefit from closer cooperation—including illicit arms trade, write nuclear experts Darya Dolzikova and Daniel Salisbury. Read more.
NUCLEAR RISK
Cold War estimates of deaths in nuclear conflictIt’s not clear whether the US military currently makes estimates of how many people would die in a nuclear war, writes analyst William Burr. In the past, such estimates have shocked government officials. Read more.
NUCLEAR RISK
Ending the war while ensuring Russia does not gain territory via nuclear coercionNATO’s objective in Ukraine should be to ensure Russia doesn’t gain territory through nuclear coercion and to negotiate on a set of strategic stability arrangements that address the concerns implied in previous proposals by Russia, says Robert J. Goldston of Princeton University. Read more.
The 2022 Doomsday Clock announcement.Answers to some of the most common Doomsday Clock questions
The Bulletin has reset the minute hand on the Doomsday Clock 24 times since its debut in 1947, most recently in 2020 when we moved it from two minutes to midnight to 100 seconds to midnight. Every time it is reset, we’re flooded with questions about the internationally recognized symbol. Here are answers to some of the most frequent queries.
IN THE NEWS
Climate, nuclear crises spark fears of worstIn this Yahoo article, Bulletin senior advisor Kennette Benedict says nuclear risks are even greater now than they were during the Cuban Missile Crisis. “I think there’s been a kind of steady erosion of the ability to manage nuclear weapons.” Read more.
SPECIAL TOPICS
Buy a book, get a free premium magazine subscriptionEvery copy of The Doomsday Clock at 75 comes with a free subscription to the Bulletin’s premium magazine which includes access to 75+ years of archives. Discover the rich history of this powerful symbol. Order now.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“[A]s we look ahead to 2023, humility is in order. Indeed, the true sign of foreign policy expertise is knowing how much you do not know.”
— David Rothkopf, “Here Are the Top U.S. National Security Flashpoints in 2023,” Daily Beast
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