Readers, most writers tend to frame their next few articles in advance.
Well, I have been striving to follow that pattern, but I am not being allowed to stick to that sequence, primarily because of the rapidity with which breaking- news has been ERUPTING on the political front.
NUCLEAR FEARS
(i)..Black-Friday normally occurs when the thirteenth day of a particular month falls on a Friday.
However my Black Friday descended on January, 27th., when I read that former Soviet Union Leader-Mikhail Gorbachev had warned that”the world may be on the brink of war”.
Gorbachev who rose to power in the final years of the Cold War and was the President of the Soviet Union when it dissolved in 1991, wrote an opinion-piece in Time magazine saying”he’s worried about world leaders’ militaristic tones, and the rate at which Nations are ramping up their weapons’ arsenals”.
Perhaps, just as dangerous as a nuclear war, is 85 year-old Gorbachev’s observation that “once nuclear weapons exist, there is a danger that they will explode as a result of human error, an accident, technical failure, or because of the evil intent of an insane person.
–{{ Relevant to the immediate paragraph above, is an announcement from Gov.Cuomo’s Office on Sunday, January 29 th., that as the Indian Point nuclear plant (Downstate New York) is going to be closed out of safety concerns; three aging Upstate New York plants will be kept in operation.}}
Mr.Gobachev, who won the Nobel Peace prize in 1990, called for an urgent stopping and reversing of the ruinous (new) arms race, because”none of the problems that the world faces, mainly poverty, can be solved by wars”.
My most instant fear around a Third World War, is that it is going to involve the use of Nuclear weapons, and as former President Obama pointed out in one of his farewell interviews,” The end is the end, there is nothing after the end”
….In 1985, President Ronald Reagan and Mr.Gorbachev agreed that a nuclear war could never be won by either country, and thus should never be fought.
IMMEDIATE THREATS
In pragmatic terms, one has to take note of potential nuclear threats.
(a).. On December 22nd. last year, President(elect) Donald Trump declared”the United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability”.
NEO-Conservatives (the NEO-Cons) who (reportedly) encouraged President George W.Bush to invade Iraq, have complimented that Declaration.
(b)..NORTH KOREA
Perhaps, the closest that we have grown to nuclear collision is this obsession that North Korea’s 33 year-old leader–Kim Jong-Un has with testing and launching nuclear bombs on his neighbors and the United States. It is felt that that (North Korean) obsession will be met with equal or parallel preventive or retaliatory action(s) from the U.S. and/or its allies. North Korea’s population is 24.9 million persons.
(c)..On the question of global provocations taking place. (For example) we recently witnessed Russian and American weapons coupled with manpower lined up side by side in Syria. Fortunately, (and I am not saying that they were right)–American forces did not intervene as the Russian forces assisted Asad in liquidating his opposition.
(d)..renewed fighting in the Ukraine.
(e)..We also recently witnessed significant numbers of American manpower and weapons being sent to former Soviet countries which are now part of NATO. and
(f)..Iran’s provocative (ballistic) actions–spurring additional sanctions from the current U.S.Government, which has also placed “Iran on notice”–many are still attempting to find out what “notice” means.
OTHER MATTERS
Since President Trump’s inauguration, American States and cities have witnessed large scale (day-time and nocturnal) protests– The question is are those protests which are being likened to the Viet Nam era,–a Moment, or a MOVEMENT.
{{-Journalist, Mike Lupica has written”the President will screa, and the protestors will keep coming and screaming back”. }}
Whichever way, the protests go, the Leadership of the Democratic Party has to be feeling very fortunate, about the manner in which the new Government’s actions are fueling, mobilizing and galvanizing automatic and axiomatic opposition reactions and pushback(s) both at home and abroad.
The curiosity now has to be around how the Democratic Party is going to make use of those unexpected gifts of financial, legal, situational and human resources.
On the other hand, as Mr.Trump seeks to satisfy the campaign promises that he made to his followers and supporters, it is going to be interesting to see how far President Trump’s base can sustain him during these turbulent times, or what some Social-Scientists are labeling”implosion”
IN OTHER WORDS
I have no fear
to shed a tear
that I am so scared
of anything nuclear
Click here to read other commentary by Carlyle Harry
and then 