2 Minutes to Midnight

The Doomsday clock is as close to midnight as it's ever been.

Although the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists focuses on nuclear risk, climate change, and emerging technologies, the nuclear landscape takes center stage in this year’s Clock statement. Major nuclear actors are on the cusp of a new arms race, one that will be very expensive and will increase the likelihood of accidents and misperceptions. Across the globe, nuclear weapons are poised to become more rather than less usable because of nations’ investments in their nuclear arsenals.

Update (May 5):  Noam Chomsky and Daniel Ellsburg agree the Syrian civil war risks a nuclear confrontation between the U.S. and Russia. Tracy Keeling reports:

NATO poses a direct threat to Russia, a heavily nuclear-armed state, by deploying on its borders. And the US, the UK and France bombed its ally – Syria – over an alleged chemical attack before confirmation of it, and who carried it out, had taken place. Now, one of America’s closest allies – Israel – is threatening to “destroy” the systems Russia has said it might use to protect its ally from “aggression”.