After seven decades studying the threat of atomic weapons, Nobel laureate John Polanyi says the world is closer than ever to nuclear war. But, in his view, you don’t need to move to the fallout shelter yet.
“Are we in greater danger with the passage of time? If we don’t have discussions such as the one we’re having today, the danger will be acute,” Polanyi told CTV’s Your Morning on Monday, the same day U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence visited the tense Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, where he warned America’s “strategic patience” with Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions is coming to an end.
"President Trump has made it clear that the patience of the United States and our allies in this region has run out and we want to see change,” Pence announced. “We want to see North Korea abandon its reckless path of the development of nuclear weapons, and also its continual use and testing of ballistic missiles is unacceptable."
Pence’s visit follows a week of rising tensions that saw the U.S. deploy a powerful supercarrier to the waters off the coast of the Korean peninsula, North Korea launch a failed missile test, and representatives from both countries engage in heated rhetorical exchanges. The increasing hostilities between the two nuclear powers had many fearing a nuclear conflict might be on the horizon.
But Polanyi cautions that the world’s nuclear-armed nations – United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel – wield their power the same way: as a deterrent.
And he thinks North Korea, despite the bluster, is no different.
“They [North Korea] could do enormous damage, but their intention, as far as I can understand, is not to try to conquer the world,” Polanyi said. “Their intention is to protect themselves against what they think is a very hostile world.”
“I don’t think there will be any military action. I think there will be a continuation of these threats,” he said.
