Doomsday Clock. 2 1/2 Minutes to Midnight. Ever Closer to Nuclear War
By Brian Cloughley / Strategic Culture Foundation
The Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has warned that the likelihood of a catastrophic nuclear war is closer than since 1953. As explained by the Bulletin, in 1947 it devised the Doomsday Clock “using the imagery of apocalypse (midnight) and the contemporary idiom of nuclear explosion (countdown to zero) to convey threats to humanity and the planet”.
Each year “the decision to move (or to leave in place) the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock is made by the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board in consultation with its Board of Sponsors, which includes 15 Nobel laureates”. In 1953 the Clock was at two minutes to midnight. In the worst years of the cold war it was at 3 minutes to midnight when, in 1984 it was recorded that “US-Soviet relations reach their iciest point in decades. Dialogue between the two superpowers virtually stops. Every channel of communications has been constricted or shut down; every form of contact has been attenuated or cut off…”
And now, in 2017, it is apparent that channels of communication with Russia are being deliberately cut off — and the hands of the Doomsday Clock have been placed at just two-and-a-half minutes from midnight.
Disaster looms.
And as it looms, the United States Senate is heightening its global confrontational approach and announced that it intends to penalise Russia for a number of supposed misdemeanours.
Senator Lindsey Graham
Senator Lindsey Graham told CBS News that the Senate will “punish Russia for interfering in our elections” — concerning which allegation there has not been one shred of proof provided by anyone. All-embracing inquiries are under way, of course, but be assured that if there were the slightest, tiniest, most microscopic morsel of actual proof of any interference, it would by now have been leaked to the media and made headline news.
Senator Graham excelled himself by telling President Trump, via CBS News, that
“You’re the commander in chief. You need to stand up to Russia. We’re never going to reset our relationship with Russia until we punish them for trying to destroy democracy. And that starts with more sanctions”.
Then the CBS interviewer brought up the subject of the many inquiries into allegations of Trump-Russia plotting and mentioned that a Democrat had said the investigations were a “fishing expedition… What’s your response to that?”
The Senator replied
“That’s not your, none of your business. We’re going to do what we think is best. The Russians interfered in our election. They’re doing it all over the world. No evidence yet that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians. I don’t believe the president colluded with the Russians, just because of the way he behaves. There’s zero evidence that President Trump did anything wrong with the Russians. There’s overwhelming evidence that Russia is trying to destroy democracy here and abroad. And if you forgive and forget with Putin, you’re going to get more of the same and you’re going to entice Iran and China to come in 2018 and 2020”.
The US Senate believes there is “zero evidence” that President Trump had help from Russia in his election campaign — which is true — but also thinks there is “overwhelming evidence” that Russia is trying to influence voting in America, although there is not a shred of proof to that effect.
The Senator spoke with the authority, force and majesty of the US Senate, and the world has to accept that his pronouncements represent the wishes of the legislators of his mighty nation which is intent on imposing harsher sanctions on Russia. As observed by Forbes, the new Bill “punishes Russian oil and gas firms even more than the current sanctions regime… Russia has no friends on Capitol Hill”.
It is intriguing that the sanctions focus on oil and gas production, and Bloomberg reported that Germany and Austria consider “the measures sought to bolster US economic interests and included an unacceptable intervention in the region’s energy sector”. In an unprecedented expression — indeed, explosion — of disapproval, Germany’s Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Austria’s Chancellor Christian Kern said in a joint statement that “Europe’s energy supply is a matter for Europe, not the United States of America… instruments for political sanctions should not be tied to economic interests” and that the Senate’s amendment heralded a “new and very negative quality in European-American relations”.
As London’s Financial Times reported,
“the Russia sanctions outline opposition to Nord Stream 2, a pipeline that will double capacity for Gazprom… to supply gas to Europe under the Baltic Sea. The measures could affect European energy companies, including Shell, Engie and OMV, which are financing the pipeline. Shares in all four companies tumbled on Thursday”.
Washington’s mission of lucrative destruction was partly achieved, but that’s where we come to the essence of the matter. The part of the Sanctions Bill involving Russia was an add-on to a series of vindictive measures against Iran, but it seemed a good idea to also sanction Russia’s oil and gas production, because nobody would benefit more than the oil and gas companies of the United States.
Bloomberg explained that the Nord Stream pipeline “would compete with US exports of liquefied natural gas to Europe”. And the Senate made it plain that the US government “should prioritize the export of United States energy resources in order to create American jobs, help United States allies and partners, and strengthen United States foreign policy”.
It’s difficult to see how the Senate’s arrogant dabbling might “help allies and partners,” but those in America who own energy resources and want to continue making vast profits continue to help their allies and partners in the Senate and the House. Without their financial support, many legislators would never have got to Washington.
As recorded by Open Secrets, companies closely associated with oil and gas production gave US politicians over fifty million dollars in 2015-2016 to help their democratic election:
Top Contributors, 2015-2016
| Contributor | Amount |
| Koch Industries | $9,501,803 |
| Chevron Corp | $5,116,216 |
| Ariel Corp | $4,809,612 |
| Stewart & Stevenson | $4,127,231 |
| Western Refining | $4,067,802 |
| Petrodome Energy | $3,000,000 |
| Chief Oil & Gas | $2,977,493 |
| Hunt Companies | $2,709,917 |
| Marathon Petroleum | $2,398,781 |
| Edison Chouest Offshore | $2,198,872 |
| Energy Transfer Equity | $2,164,853 |
| Kinder Morgan Inc | $2,112,160 |
| American Petroleum Institute | $2,085,345 |
| Exxon Mobil | $2,065,787 |
| Occidental Petroleum | $1,855,908 |
| Devon Energy | $1,811,364 |
| Otis Eastern | $1,733,017 |
| Honeywell International | $1,461,284 |
| Anadarko Petroleum | $1,343,741 |
| Red Apple Group | $1,218,312 |
Source: By kind permission of the Center for Responsive Politics
And Senator Lindsay Graham was given a bundle by many commercial organisations, headed by Nelson, Mullins, whose $254,247 in 1993-2016 no doubt helped him along the way. Nelson Mullins, incidentally, has attorneys who “have experience in advising electrical and pipeline providers on legal matters”. Then he got $175,605 from SCANA, which is “a $9 billion energy-based holding company, based in Cayce, South Carolina… Its businesses include… natural gas utility operations and other energy-related businesses”. Another of Senator Graham’s generous sponsors is the Fluor Corporation ($94,801) which “understands the critical success factors driving onshore oil and gas production and terminal businesses, providing practical solutions to maximize project investment”.
It doesn’t matter to these people, or to the legislators they’ve bought with their donations, that the Doomsday Clock has ticked closer to the midnight of Armageddon, and that the hostile approach of the United States is alienating a proud nation that can take only so much before it reacts against Washington’s aggressive confrontation. The sleazy hypocrisy of US legislators is legendary, but it is their ignorance greed and arrogance that are worrying.
While Senator Graham was dancing to the tune of his oil angels, the Washington Post reported that seven percent of American adults believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows. That is “16.4 million misinformed, milk-drinking people”. The representative of FoodCorps which encourages sensible nourishment said this was unfortunate, and “We still get kids who are surprised that a French fry comes from a potato, or that a pickle is a cucumber. Knowledge is power. Without it, we can’t make informed decisions”.
Just like the US Senate.
Brian Cloughley is a British and Australian armies’ veteran, former deputy head of the UN military mission in Kashmir and Australian defense attaché in Pakistan.
Featured image from Strategic Culture Foundation
The original source of this article is Strategic Culture Foundation
Copyright © Brian Cloughley, Strategic Culture Foundation, 2017
Articles by:Brian Cloughley
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Center of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post original Global Research articles on community internet sites as long as the text & title are not modified. The source and the author’s copyright must be displayed. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]
www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
For media inquiries: [email protected]
Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.
"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!
Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!
HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.
Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.
MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)
Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser! Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!
Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.
Smart Meter Cover - Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).
| Online: | |
| Visits: | 1,602,979,975 |
| Stories: | 8,148,541 |
Whistler Blowers, Insiders
Have you not read the report? I guess we should keep The clock ticking because the suggestions they make will offend BIN users
Because we know from experience that governmental leaders respond to public pressure,
we also call on citizens of the world to express themselves in all the ways available to them— including through use of the powerful new tools of social media—to demand that:
• US and Russian leaders return to the negotiating table to seek further reductions in nuclear arms and to limit nuclear modernization programs that threaten to create a new nuclear arms race. The world can be more secure with much, much
smaller nuclear arsenals than now exist— if political leaders are truly interested in protecting their citizens from harm.
• The United States and Russia reduce the alert levels of their nuclear weapons and use existing crisis stability mechanisms to
avoid inadvertent escalation of conflict. Provocative military exercises increase the possibilities for accidental war and should
cease.
• Governments around the world sharply reduce their countries’ greenhouse gas emissions and fulfill the Paris Accord promise of keeping warming to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, or less. This temperature target is consistent with consensus views on climate science and is eminently achievable and economically viable, provided that poorer countries are given the support they need to make the post-carbon transition.
• The Trump administration acknowledge climate change as a science-backed reality and redouble US efforts to limit carbon dioxide emissions and support carbonfree energy sources, including, when economically reasonable and safe over the long term, nuclear energy. It is well past time to move beyond arguments over the reality of climate change and on to solutions, including fiscal preasures—such as carbon markets and carbon taxes or fees—that encourage efficiency and put a price on carbon emissions.
• The United States, China, Russia, and other concerned nations engage with North Korea to reduce nuclear risks. Neighbors in Asia face the most urgent threat, but as North Korea improves its nuclear and missile arsenals, the threat will rapidly become global. As we said last year and repeat here: Now is not the time to tighten North Korea’s isolation but to engage seriously in dialogue.
• Leaders of countries with commercial nuclear power programs deal responsibly with safety issues and with the commercial nuclear waste problem. Top experts disagree on whether an expansion of nuclear-powered electricity generation can become a major component of the effort to limit climate change. Regardless of the trajectory of the global nuclear industry, there will be a continuing need for safe and secure interim and permanent nuclear waste storage facilities and for ever-safer nuclear power plants.
• The countries of the world collaborate on creating institutions specifically assigned to explore and address potentially malign or
catastrophic misuses of new technologies. Scientific advance can provide society with great benefits. But as events surrounding
the recent US presidential election show, the potential for misuse of potent new technologies is real. Governmental, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists § 7 scientific, and business leaders need to take appropriate steps to address possibly devastating consequences of these technologies.