Today the risk of nuclear weapons being used is higher than it has been at any time since World War II, the director of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) Renata Dwan said on Tuesday. Dwan argued that the increased risk of nuclear war results from changes to arms-control arrangements and increased strategic competition between the United States and China.
The US and Russia both pulled out of the intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) treaty earlier this year and the two countries may not renew the New START strategic nuclear disarmament treaty that is set to expire in 2021.
In an attempt to counter the increasing risk of nuclear war, the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has been developed. So far it has been ratified by 23 states including South Africa, Vietnam, Mexico and Cuba. At least 50 states need to ratify the treaty, but the US, Russia and other nuclear powers are opposing the initiative.
Read more: Nuclear war risk highest since WWII, UN arms research chief warns
