UK official warns of higher nuclear threat than in cold war

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
29 Jul 2022 20:23

Comparing the Soviet era to today's cold war, UK's National Security Advisor says they do not share the same foundations with others who may pose a possible threat in the future.

UK National Security Advisor Stephen Lovegrove

UK National Security Advisor Stephen Lovegrove said on Thursday that a foundering of dialogue among rival powers has resulted in a nuclear threat that is higher than that of the Soviet cold war era.

Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, Lovegrove said that Western nations had a greater “understanding of the Soviet doctrine and capabilities — and vice versa” at the time because more "space and channels for dialogue to build trust and counter disinformation" were kept open.

“This gave us both a higher level of confidence that we would not miscalculate our way into nuclear war,” he said. “Today, we do not have the same foundations with others who may threaten us in the future — particularly with China.”

He added that Britain strongly supports President Biden’s talks with Beijing in which both he and Xi Jinping shared heated exchanges in relation to the US commitment to the island — which the White House later downplayed.

China has recently issued stark warnings to the Biden administration about the upcoming trip to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi.

Tensions have moreover altered global trade, security, and the overall approach toward the war in Ukraine.

Lovegrove’s analysis further revealed that the conflict in Ukraine is “a manifestation of a much broader contest unfolding over the successor to the post-Cold War international order."

“We are entering a dangerous new age of proliferation in which new technological change is increasing the damage potential of many weapons, and those weapon systems are more widely available," he added.

Last month, arm's research organization SIPRI found that despite a marginal decrease in the number of nuclear warheads in 2021, nuclear arsenals are expected to grow over the coming decade.

"All of the nuclear-armed states are increasing or upgrading their arsenals and most are sharpening nuclear rhetoric and the role nuclear weapons play in their military strategies," said Wilfred Wan, Director of SIPRI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme. "This is a very worrying trend."

Last Wednesday, Lovegrove called on policymakers to focus on deterrence and arms control. He claimed that China and Russia's use and development of space and cyber technologies are weakening the global security architecture.

“The question is … finding a balance amongst unprecedented complexity so there can be no collapse into uncontrolled conflict.”