Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May 8, 2023
Posted: 8th May 2023
May 8, 2023
A screenshot from Let 3’s Eurovision 2023 music video, “Mama ŠČ!”, which mocks Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin. (YouTube)
SPECIAL TOPICS
High camp and soft power: How Eurovision explains modern Europe—and moreWhile some viewers may be tempted to dismiss it as a mere contest of unhinged spectacle and camp, Eurovision is worth watching for its insights into geopolitical alliances and apt social commentary, writes Bulletin associate multimedia editor Erik English. Read more.
BIOSECURITY
Who will vaccinate people during the next pandemic? The US public health sector is falling behindThis Thursday, the Biden administration will end the COVID public health emergency in the US. Despite record-breaking development of effective vaccines in response to the pandemic, warning signs that the country is ill-prepared for the next big thing are piling up, writes analyst Kimberly Ma. Read more.
NUCLEAR RISK
The US silence on Israeli nuclear weapons and the right-wing Israeli governmentAmerican diplomats—in fact all US government employees—are forced to pretend they know nothing about Israeli nuclear weapons. It is time to break the silence, argues a former commissioner of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Read more.
Photo Credit: Susanna Loof/IAEA
Tomorrow: New Bulletin issue on early warnings and near misses
Subscribe today to read the Bulletin’s May premium magazine, which is devoted to near-misses, close calls, and early warnings. Your subscription will give you access to this issue when it publishes tomorrow, plus every issue the Bulletin has published since 1945.
NUCLEAR RISK
Can the US President stop a new nuclear weapon he doesn’t want?If there is one thing the United States doesn’t need, it is a new nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile, argues Stephen Young, a nuclear expert from the Union of Concerned Scientists. And yet, it might get it anyway. Read more.
DOOMSDAY CLOCK
Get a free premium Bulletin subscription when you order The Doomsday Clock at 75This 75th anniversary book chronicles the history behind the Doomsday Clock and how it has evolved into an international symbol of hope, caution, and our responsibility to one another. Order yours.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Over the long course of the nuclear age, concerned U.S. citizens have stood up and demanded that their leaders take action to reduce the number and the risks posed by nuclear weapons … That effort has to be renewed again.”
— Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, “The US Has No Plans To Give Up Nuclear Weapons. The Public Needs to Change That,” Truthout
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