The world is currently facing its most dangerous moment since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. While during that time, there was a palpable fear of impending destruction among the public, today, many remain blissfully unaware of this looming threat. It is not difficult to imagine how nuclear war could break out between Russia (and possibly China) and the West, yet politicians continue to escalate tensions and place hundreds of thousands of troops at “high readiness.
This situation is unprecedented in history. The fate of humanity hinges on the restraint and rationality of one man, Putin—a figure often portrayed by Western media and politicians as an irrational, bloodthirsty monster. Russian leaders must wonder how they should react to a hostile military alliance now including even Sweden and Finland at their very borders. How would Washington respond if Mexico or Canada belonged to an enormous, expansionist, and highly belligerent anti-U.S. military alliance.
Adding fuel to the fire, the United States began sending billions of dollars’ worth of military aid to Ukraine in 2014, to “improve interoperability with NATO,” according to the Defense Department. This raises questions about why the West is so heavily involved in Ukraine when, as Barack Obama said while president, it is “a core Russian interest but not an American one.
The situation grows even more precarious due to what experts call “warhead ambiguity.” As senior Russian military officers have stated, there will be no way to determine if an incoming ballistic missile is fitted with a nuclear or a conventional warhead. This means the military may perceive it as a nuclear attack that warrants retaliation, increasing the likelihood of a misunderstanding leading to nuclear war.
As we continue deeper into this proxy war with Russia, which has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and seen Ukraine more closely integrated into NATO’s structures than before, it remains unclear where this is all heading. What is clear, however, is that Western leaders are acting with reckless disregard for the future of humanity. The fate of our species lies in the hands of someone we are told is a madman leading a state under siege by the most powerful military coalition in history, apparently committed to its demise.
It is puzzling that millions of people aren’t protesting in the streets every day to deescalate this crisis and pull civilization back from the brink. The mass media has successfully fulfilled their function of manufacturing consent. But unless the Western public wakes up, the current crisis may not end as benignly as it did in 1962.