Latest news with #DoomsdayClock
USA Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
'Heed our warnings': Nobel laureates plea for diplomacy to prevent nuclear war
Top nuclear experts gathered in Chicago to offer world leaders a playbook for reducing the risk of nuclear war. CHICAGO − In the fall of 2022, U.S. spies said the chances of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine were 50% − a coin flip. Nearly three years later, the risk of nuclear war has only increased, top experts say. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' famed "Doomsday Clock" is the closest it has ever been to midnight. Humanity is 'heading in the wrong direction' on the one threat that 'could end civilization in an afternoon,' warned an assembly of Nobel laureates, nuclear experts, and diplomats gathered at the University of Chicago to mark the 80th anniversary of the planet's first nuclear explosion in 1945 when the U.S. conducted the Trinity test in New Mexico. Although Russia didn't nuke its neighbor, the brutal war of attrition continues in Ukraine. Two nuclear-armed countries, India and Pakistan, attacked each other in May. The U.S. and Israel, which both have nuclear weapons, bombed Iran in June to destroy its nuclear program. Popular support for building nuclear weapons grows in countries like Japan and South Korea. Against this backdrop, more than a dozen Nobel Prize winners and numerous nuclear experts signed a 'Declaration for the Prevention of Nuclear War' on July 16 with recommendations for world leaders to reduce the increasing risk of nuclear conflict. More: 80 years later, victims of 'first atom bomb' will soon be eligible for reparations 'Despite having avoided nuclear catastrophes in the past, time and the law of probability are not on our side,' the declaration says. 'Without clear and sustained efforts from world leaders to prevent nuclear war, there can be no doubt that our luck will finally run out.' The declaration emerged from days of discussion and debate, said assembly leader David Gross, a University of California, Santa Barbara, physicist and 2004 Nobel Prize winner. 'We are calling on our leaders in the world to consider our suggestions and heed our warnings,' Gross said. Longtime Vatican diplomat and nuclear advisor Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi argued that faith leaders should embrace a role in providing world leaders with independent moral and ethical assessments of nuclear policy and technology. International agreements key to reducing risk The declaration and speakers at its unveiling spoke extensively of the crucial role diplomacy and treaties played in building trust between countries with nuclear weapons and shrinking their arsenals after the Cold War. Clock ticks on nuke treaties But a key treaty remains unenforced, and the last remaining arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia expires in February 2026. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, or CTBT, is a 1996 international agreement that aims to ban explosive nuclear tests. Although the CTBT Organization, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, successfully detects even underground nuclear tests (and identifies when suspicious seismic events aren't test explosions), the treaty is not in force. Nine more countries, including the U.S. and Russia (which de-ratified the CTBT in 2023), must formally approve the treaty before it becomes binding international law. At the assembly, CTBTO leader and former Australian diplomat Robert Floyd joined the Nobel winners in calling the international community to formally approve the testing ban. Floyd argued that if countries with nuclear weapons resumed testing to build more destructive nukes, it could lead 'other states to develop nuclear weapons and … a renewed global nuclear arms race.' The declaration also highlighted the need for the U.S., Russia, and China to enter arms control discussions. The 2010 New START treaty, which limits American and Russian nuclear weapons deployments and enables the rivals to verify the other's cooperation, expires in February 2026. AI and the atom bomb Artificial intelligence and its role in nuclear weapons matters also weighed heavily. The declaration emphasized the 'unprecedented and serious risks posed by artificial intelligence' and implored 'all nuclear armed states to ensure meaningful and enhanced human control and oversight over nuclear command and control.' Tomasi, the Vatican's representative, said scientists, disarmament experts and faith leaders need to study 'the ethical implications of emerging technologies,' such as AI, on 'nuclear stability.' World leaders, including former President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, generally agree that humans − and not AI algorithms − should control nuclear launch buttons. But debate rages over the ideal, and safe, extent of integrating AI into other nuclear functions such as early warning, targeting, and communications. A February 2025 report from the Center for a New American Security think tank on AI nuclear risk warned that 'overreliance on untested, unreliable, or biased AI systems for decision support during a crisis' could potentially lead decision-makers down an escalatory path during a nuclear crisis. Ultimately, argued Nobel winner Gross, progress in reducing the risks of nuclear weapons hinges on popular pressure on world leaders. 'The main motivation for the advances in reducing the risk of Armageddon was the fear of many … people throughout the world who demanded (action) from their leaders,' Gross said. Davis Winkie's role covering nuclear threats and national security at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Outrider Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Midnight Approaches: Living The Character Our Values Demand
It's time to strengthen character to realize values as the Doomsday Clock approaches midnight Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney makes the case in his 2021 book 'Value(s): Building a Better World for All' that although markets have been constructed around economic value, they need to serve societal values. The opposite has been happening. In the book's introduction, Carney states, 'In short, we have moved from a market economy to a market society.' Market values have become society's values. Current market mechanisms embed a set of transactional and self-interested values that do not reflect the values societies want or need. Carney is not alone in calling for a systemic change from shareholder primacy to stakeholder capitalism, which goes beyond valuing profits to valuing not only current and future generations, but also communities and the planet. Alarm bells have been ringing for decades about the urgency of examining values and actions, most clearly illustrated by the Doomsday Clock, a symbolic timepiece created in 1947 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to measure humanity's proximity to global catastrophe. As Forbes Senior Contributor Monica Sanders describes, the Doomsday Clock, with its ominous countdown to midnight, serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to address a range of threats, including climate change, nuclear proliferation, biothreats, disinformation, and wars. Essentially, Carney's call for society to embrace eternal and universal values, such as fairness, responsibility, and humility, is deemed to be at the root of how we engage with the world through decisions and actions that shape it. Every action we take moves us closer or further away from midnight. The end of the Cold War in 1991 marked a significant turning point in global stability. It followed a deeply tense period in 1953, when the testing of hydrogen bombs pushed the Doomsday Clock to just two minutes before midnight. In contrast, 1991 saw a dramatic retreat from that danger, with the Clock set back to 17 minutes before midnight—the furthest it's ever been. Since then, however, the threat has steadily intensified, and as of January 2025, the Clock stands at a mere 89 seconds until midnight. A clarion call to adopt a different set of values has been issued, but it is not being heeded. It's time to look beyond values to character. There are four reasons why we need to live up to the character that aspirational values demand. 1. Systems Trump Values Many of the systems within which we operate are misaligned, if not broken. James Clear's insight about goals and systems also applies to values and systems: 'We do not rise to the level of our goals. Instead, we fall to the level of our systems.' It is increasingly clear that a society relying on systems rooted in market values is unsustainable. These systems promote short-term, money- and power-focused thinking, ignoring non-monetary values, which dehumanizes us and fosters a 'might is more powerful than right' mindset. Such systems shape values. Whether among individuals, organizations, or society as a whole, evidence shows that systems influence not only values but also behaviors. The well-known Milgram and Stanford Prison experiments serve as striking reminders of how good people can be influenced by flawed systems, leading to compromised decisions and actions. Good intentions are not enough. Icek Ajzen's 1991 Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) aimed to explain the gap between intentions and actual behaviors that lead to poor and unintended outcomes. He identified three key factors that influence the intention-behavior gap: 1) belief that the action will produce positive results; 2) whether the action aligns with norms; and 3) whether we believe we can do it. Although TPB has been applied to various behaviors, including health, environmental, consumer, and organizational habits, the insights remain consistent for personal values. Simply put, the systems within which we operate do not reinforce (or worse, undermine) our intended values; the norms embedded in the system prevail and erode both our belief and confidence in whether those values can be achieved. Systems can be seen as the norms and practices, whether in our lives, organizations, or society. Essentially, these systems embed approaches that are often difficult to alter or change. For example, at the individual level, people often prioritize attaining wealth and status—two core values in a market economy—causing them to neglect exercising or investing in close relationships, despite claiming to value health, family, and friends. Their ability to choose their lifestyle is influenced by market economy values rather than the more sustainable values of health and well-being. The same applies to how we behave within organizations, where individuals tend to respond to organizational norms reinforced through compensation and reward systems. Even though almost every organization has a statement of values, former Forbes Councils Member, Tom Silva, argued that 'Most Corporate Values Aren't Valuable,' mainly because they are mere platitudes. Silva was correct that words like fairness and integrity, which arise from a virtue ethics perspective, will not yield the intended benefits, given how they have been employed. However, his conclusion that organizations are better served by a deontological approach that looks at the intentions of the company is shortsighted. In referring to focusing on the duties of the organizations, he states: 'These are much more compelling because they employ not character traits but the intent and whether a company is fulfilling its duty to the world.' With this conclusion, he misses the power of a market value society that shapes values and what it takes to develop the strength of character to overcome these market values. 2. Character Underpins Values What was missing from Silva's argument is that developing character offers a cornerstone not only to support values, but to counter the forces that Ajzen identified in explaining why intentions are not realized. The reason that values such as integrity and fairness become platitudes is that there is a lack of understanding of the architecture of character that underpins their manifestation. In the same way that values can become platitudes, so too can character. My Forbes article, 'From Good to Great: 10 Ways to Elevate Your Character Quotient,' describes the foundations of character and provides a pulse check that individuals can use to assess their own and their organization's character development practices. The core ideas are that there is an architecture of character that can be understood as 11 interconnected character dimensions (transcendence, drive, collaboration, humanity, humility, integrity, temperance, justice, accountability, courage, and judgment), each with a set of virtuous behaviors that can be observed, assessed, and developed. An overlooked aspect of character is that any one of the behaviors can manifest in deficient or excess vice states. For example, the five behaviors associated with the character dimension of integrity—being authentic, candid, consistent, principled, and transparent—will manifest in the excess state as being uncompromising, belligerent, rigid, dogmatic, and indiscriminate. It is not that a person would want to reduce those strengths, but rather that they need strength in other dimensions, such as humility, humanity, and justice, to help ensure integrity manifests in the virtuous, not vice state. The deficient vice of integrity is being fake, untruthful, inconsistent, unprincipled, and manipulative. Weaknesses in these elements of integrity can be strengthened through regular practice – what we refer to as 'going to the character gym.' A key aspect of character is that it fosters human flourishing – sustained excellence and well-being, through judgment, or what Aristotle described as 'practical wisdom.' Unfortunately, people tend to overestimate their strength of character because they judge themselves by their intentions, while others judge them by their observable actions. Additionally, Tasha Eurich's research shows that 95% of us believe we are self-aware, but only 10% to 15% actually are. Therefore, when it comes to character, people are often unaware of their deficiencies and excesses. In our workshops, we encourage people to identify whether they lean toward character deficiency or excess. Even if someone does not see themselves as dogmatic (the excess vice of being principled), knowing their tendency toward excess can help them understand how others might perceive their principled behavior as dogmatic. The solution is not to become less principled but to strengthen the supporting character muscles. For example, developing behaviors such as being open-minded and flexible (elements of collaboration), and being curious and a continuous learner (part of humility), helps ensure that others see principled behavior manifesting as intended in the virtuous state. 3. Beyond Platitudes to Strengthening Character Living true to one's aspirational values is like telling someone to run a marathon without training. While character underpins how values are expressed, descriptions of character will remain empty words if people don't understand what it is, how it can manifest in deficiency and excess, and how to develop it. Similarly, there is no shortcut to physical exercise; there's no shortcut to developing character, just like going to the character gym. In 'Developing Leadership Character,' Gerard Seijts, Jeffrey Gandz, and I describe the 11 dimensions of character. In 'The Character Compass,' Gerard Seijts, Bill Furlong, and I outline how to grow and embed character within organizations. In 'Cracking the Code: Leader Character Development For Competitive Advantage,' Corey Crossan, Bill Furlong, and I chart a path for individuals and organizations. Over the past 17 years, as I have worked to elevate character alongside competence in higher education and organizations, I have observed that people quickly realize they have blind spots regarding character, and consider it a revelation that what they thought was a strength could manifest as an excess vice. Unfortunately, too many people believe that being aware of the anatomy of character is sufficient. The faulty logic is clear. In the same way, you can't get fit by just knowing anatomy; strengthening character without commitment to ongoing habit development is what would make character become a platitude and values unrealized. Research at the Ivey Business School reveals that the difference between weak and strong character is a 14% difference in leader effectiveness, a 10% difference in leader resilience, and differences in job-related well-being, job satisfaction, leader well-being, work engagement, and organizational commitment, all by 8%. In the face of such research, it is understandable, indeed an obligation, that individuals and organizations would not want to leave character development to chance. There are programs for character development, such as the Harvard/Oxford 'Leading with Character' 30-day online course, Ivey's Leader Character Practitioner Program, and the Virtuosity Character mobile app, which I co-created with Corey Crossan for daily character development. The major challenge, like any habit development, is to cultivate and sustain a character development practice. One of the reasons Corey and I created the Virtuosity app was to embed everything we know about what character is and how to develop it within the app, including ways to strengthen the intention to develop character based on TPB. Our data reveal that many individuals believe that developing character will lead to positive outcomes, and they believe they can develop character behaviors; however, they consistently report that many of these character behaviors are not customary norms, nor is there positive peer influence to support character development. Finally, many report that their lifestyle impedes their character development practices. Digging into what it takes to develop character reveals why it is so difficult and underscores why values are necessary but not sufficient to translate positive intention into action. 4. Character Can Shape Systems The famous saying by Mahatma Gandhi, 'Be the change you want to see in the world,' points in the right direction. First, we need to 'become the change' through character development. Lofty values will be insufficient to shift systems without the strength of character that provides the foundation to realize those lofty values. Recognizing the significant influence of systems that can undermine character, it reinforces the strength of character needed to shape these systems. Many systems, including market value systems, have embedded within them imbalances of character, such as weaknesses in justice, accountability, humility and humanity. It is people who sustain those systems, and often those who have character imbalances. When we elect, select, or promote people with character imbalances, we perpetuate dysfunctional systems. Understanding, developing, and embedding character in our lives and organizations is the only avenue we have to limit the role of market values in our society and allow the other, sustainable, long-term, and human values to guide our collective destiny.
Scotsman
7 days ago
- Climate
- Scotsman
Yoghurt and hot air: It's time we took some heat out of the climate change debate
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The end is nigh, again. It always seems to be the time of year when it is too hot, too cold, too wet, dry or windy to presage anything other than impending apocalypse caused by human-induced climate breakdown. Exactly how long we have left varies from seer to seer, and the prophesies of many, including Greta Thunberg, have already been subject to upward revisions. We can, however, be certain of at least two things: we are definitely in the last chance saloon; but if we all pull together immediately, and do all the right things, hope may not be completely lost. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Doomsday Clock – which ostensibly measures threats to human existence such as climate change and nuclear war – has now ticked its way to just 89 seconds to midnight. Whatever this means, it doesn't sound good. And the last time anyone read the clock was January. The current time could be one second to midnight. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Juan Manuel Santos and Robert Socolow reveal the 2025 Doomsday Clock time held by The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists at the United States Institute of Peace on in January in Washington DC | Getty Images 'New normal' threat to 'British way of life' It seems like ages ago now, but a few days back we had some hot weather, which sometimes happens in summer. The Met Office said extreme weather is the 'new normal' for the UK, while Energy Secretary Ed Miliband warned climate change threatens Britain's 'way of life'. Impervious to unhelpful claims that a more obvious threat to the British way of life might be unaffordable energy, Miliband said: 'Whether it is extreme heat, droughts, flooding, we can see it actually with our own eyes, that it's already happening, and we need to act.' Warmer summers might lead us to follow the example of other developed nations with hotter climates than ours that benefit from widespread air conditioning. But climate experts warn against a positive feedback loop of greater energy use caused by an increase in air conditioning units that would cause further emissions of carbon dioxide and thereby cause global temperatures to rise even more. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Thankfully, the BBC was on hand to highlight a green solution. Scientists at Loughborough University have found that simply applying yoghurt to the outside of a building's windows can lower the temperature inside by up to 3.5C. Not only that, but the smell reportedly fades away once the yoghurt has dried. It may seem eccentric, but perhaps smearing yoghurt on our windows, like eco-inspired dirty protesters, is indeed more in line with the quirky British way of life than the more prosaic solution of installing air conditioning. Inevitably, the more that people are told or encouraged to adopt measures such as these, or to make significant changes to how they eat, travel and generally live their lives, the more likely they are to ask questions. Remind me: Why are doing this? As the economic pain grows from deindustrialisation and the pursuit of net zero, people will increasingly ask: 'Remind me, why are we doing this again?' Exasperated climate alarmists respond: 'Because the world is on fire and we are all about to die, and it will all be your fault for failing to appreciate the nature of this imminent existential threat. How dare you!' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For these people, those who do not subscribe to the beliefs they hold so dear fall into various categories. There are the stupid, those who are simply incapable of seeing what is surely so obvious to people of normal intelligence. Then there are the malign, who probably can see but pretend not to. The most obvious explanation for this must be that they are, overtly or covertly, somehow in the pay of big fossil fuel companies. And then there are those wretched souls who are in denial, unable to confront even within themselves the true horror that is entailed by a small increase in average global temperatures over the past 200 years or so. In reality, of course, most people who disagree with the climate alarmists, including plenty of perfectly respectable scientists, are not stupid, malign or in denial. They simply take a different view, which, at the time of writing, remains legal in this country. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Few, if any, would deny there has been a small increase in global temperatures since 'pre-industrial times' drew to an end around 1850. Nor would they argue that carbon dioxide is not a greenhouse gas. But they may well have valid questions. Penguins at Edinburgh Zoo are treated to mounds of ice by keepers to help them cool down in the hot weather last week | Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS Fewer winter deaths and global greening Why, for example, do we never talk about a fall in excess deaths caused by cold weather when discussing excess deaths from hot weather, when we know the former is responsible for significantly more deaths than the latter, even in hot countries such as India? A recent study in the Lancet shows that heat kills nearly half a million people a year, but that cold temperatures are more than nine times deadlier, killing more than 4.5 million. This might be to do with the fact that humans evolved in the tropics. Logically, milder winters mean fewer deaths caused by extreme temperatures – something most of us would surely welcome. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Most people would also welcome the global greening that has taken place in recent decades. The planet has been literally changing colour since the 1980s or earlier. According to Nasa, the Earth increased its green leaf area by 5 per cent in the 20 years to 2019 – equivalent to the size of the Amazon rainforest – and the rate of greening is accelerating. Obviously this is very good news for previously arid or semi-arid areas prone to famine, and for plant life and crop production globally. But many people may be unaware of this extraordinary phenomenon, caused by a slight increase in carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere from what was a precipitously low level for plant life.
Otago Daily Times
14-07-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Leader nuclear ‘red button' concerns
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES When it comes to those who have the power to push "the big red button" and start a nuclear war, it has always been hoped that cool heads will prevail. But a University of Otago study shows there is growing concern about the leaders of nuclear-armed nations around the world, and how their health may be affecting their decision-making. Menachem Begin. The Doomsday Clock now sits at 89 seconds to midnight — the closest it has been to catastrophe since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, when the United States and Russia were brought to the brink of nuclear war. The closer it moves to midnight, the closer humanity is to the end of the world. University of Otago (Wellington) public health researcher Prof Nick Wilson said the world was again perilously close to the edge and, given that many former leaders of the world's nine nuclear-armed nations were impaired by health conditions while in office, there were concerns about their decision-making abilities while they had access to nuclear weapon launch codes. Richard Nixon. Prof Wilson, fellow researcher Associate Prof George Thomson and independent researcher Dr Matt Boyd found many of the leaders had multiple serious health issues while in office, including dementia, personality disorders, depression and drug and alcohol abuse. Their study analysed the health information of 51 deceased leaders of China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Prof Wilson said 15 leaders had confirmed or possible health issues which impaired their performance and likely hastened their departure. John F. Kennedy. In one case, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin had severe depression and spent his last year as leader isolated in his home. "Impairment during crises was also seen in the case of Richard Nixon's bouts of heavy drinking, including during a nuclear crisis involving the Middle East." He said there were also cases where health information about leaders had been kept secret, including United States President John F. Kennedy, whose aides concealed that he had Addison's disease; and Ronald Reagan, whose administration hid the extent of his injuries after he was shot in 1981, and the likely signs of his dementia near the end of his term. Francois Mitterrand. Prof Wilson said Mr Kennedy's performance was likely impaired by Addison's disease, back pain and his use of anabolic steroids and amphetamines in 1961 when he authorised the failed CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. In turn, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's poor mental health probably contributed to him triggering both the Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis. And long-serving French President Francois Mitterrand clung to power until the end of his term in 1995, despite having advanced prostate cancer and his doctor concluding in late 1994 that he was no longer capable of carrying out his duties. A study of members of the British parliament also found they were 34% more likely to experience mental health problems than other high-income earners due to the stress of the job. Nikita Khrushchev. Following the rise in international instability caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it had become even more important to ensure there was good leadership and governance in those countries with nuclear weapons, Prof Wilson said. "This is particularly the case for the United States, where a leader can in principle authorise the release of nuclear weapons on their own — a situation referred to as a 'nuclear monarchy'." He said there was a range of measures which could reduce global security risks from leaders whose judgement was in question. Ronald Reagan. They included removing nuclear weapons from "high alert" status, adopting "no first use" policies where nations only used nuclear weapons in retaliation, ensuring any weapon launches needed authorisation by multiple people and progressing nuclear disarmament treaties. Requirements for medical and psychological assessments could be introduced for leaders before and during their terms, and democracies could also consider introducing term limits for their leaders, as well as recall systems, so voters could petition for politicians to step down, he said.
New Straits Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
SEANWFZ's real challenge is to stop the Doomsday Clock
The Doomsday Clock was moved forward by one second to 89 seconds before midnight last January, signalling that the world is getting closer to an unprecedented catastrophe. The clock, which considers various existential threats, especially nuclear war, was last moved in January 2023, when the time was set at 90 seconds to midnight. Although largely symbolic, the Doomsday Clock, maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Science and Security Board (SASB), has since its creation in 1947, served as a credible reminder of the dangers posed by weapons of mass destruction. The SASB justified the one-second adjustment to the clock by highlighting the growing threat of nuclear conflict due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, the never-ending conflict in the Middle East and inadequate contacts among nuclear powers and the collapse of the nuclear arms control process. As the Doomsday Clock moves closer to midnight, Asean must intensify its efforts to convince nuclear powers to acknowledge the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ). As pointed out by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan in his opening remarks before the meeting of the SEANWFZ Commission on July 8, "it is deeply concerning" that SEANWFZ is the only nuclear weapon-free zone that has not been formally recognised by the nuclear powers. However, the efforts to win the recognition of nuclear powers must go beyond symbolic gestures. Concrete and practical steps are necessary to ensure the SEANWFZ Treaty can be a meaningful tool to ensure regional peace and stability. Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono's call for Asean to focus on concluding a clear memorandum and timeline with China offers a practical path to building the pressure needed for broader recognition of the treaty. China has stated its readiness to sign the SEANWFZ Protocol. Besides China, another Nuclear Weapon State (NWS) under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Russia, has reportedly expressed its intent to join the treaty, while the United States is in the process of assessing its potential participation. Given the devastating reach of nuclear weapons, expanding the geographic coverage of the SEANWFZ may be a strategic way to transform it into a more meaningful force for peace and stability. It is not a straightforward process, but this will be partly achieved later this year. With Timor-Leste's accession to Asean, the geographical coverage of the treaty will be expanded. This is a strategic gain for Asean. Extending the treaty into the Timor Sea brings the SEANWFZ nearer to a region shaped by the strategic interests of two NWS, the United States and the United Kingdom. Beyond Southeast Asia, the treaty's objective can also be achieved by collaborating with other similar nuclear-free zones, as suggested by Mohamad in his remarks after the SEANWFZ Commission meeting. When weapons of mass destruction were last used, Southeast Asia was a direct beneficiary. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki led to Japan's surrender, bringing peace and stability back to Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia. The potential use of weapons of mass destruction today may be governed by a more robust military doctrine and safeguards compared to August 1945, but modern nuclear weapons could potentially be more devastating than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Having once benefited from the use of weapons of mass destruction, Malaysia, as Asean Chair, now bears the moral responsibility together with other member states to maintain a nuclear weapon-free Southeast Asia and to convince nuclear powers that the horrors of August 1945 remain in the past. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the SEANWFZ. It is not just the foundation of Asean's security architecture but an important manifestation of Asean unity.] It is one of the organisation's success stories, but a glorious past is meaningless if it cannot stop a global catastrophe. To remain relevant, the SEANWFZ needs to be accepted by the five NWS. In the long term, the treaty will only be judged by its ability to stop the Doomsday Clock from moving closer to midnight.
