Carlo Rovelli Warns 85 Seconds to Midnight, Rejects NATO Rearmament
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 25
Carlo Rovelli Warns 85 Seconds to Midnight, Rejects NATO Rearmament
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 25
Summary
Carlo Rovelli used his new book "85 Seconds to Midnight" to argue that Europe should resist rearmament, saying the greater danger is a slide toward nuclear catastrophe rather than a conventional Russian assault.
Russia holds more than 4,000 nuclear warheads, he said, making direct military pressure uniquely perilous even though Moscow has struggled in Ukraine and once accounted for just 4% of global military spending versus NATO's 40%.
Rovelli said recent Ukrainian strikes using Western-supplied weapons on St Petersburg and attempted attacks on Moscow shattered the old assumption that nuclear powers would not be bombed, deepening Kremlin fears and escalation risks.
Drawing on the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the 1991 START treaty, he argued that fear drives arms races and that scientists and political leaders must again push compromise over military buildup.
The warning lands as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists keeps its Doomsday Clock at 85 seconds to midnight—the closest ever to global catastrophe.
Can fear alone prevent a nuclear arms race between the US, Russia, and China now that treaties have expired?
With Russia occupying 20% of Ukraine, is the claim of 'no conventional threat' a dangerous delusion for Europe?
After years of war and broken treaties, how can the 'reciprocal trust' needed to avert nuclear catastrophe be built?
85 Seconds to Midnight: Escalating Nuclear Threats and the Debate Over Rearmament Versus Diplomacy
Overview
As of 2026, the Doomsday Clock stands at 85 seconds to midnight, the closest ever, reflecting an unprecedented escalation of global danger. This alarming setting, decided by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, highlights the combined threats of heightened nuclear conflict risk, accelerating climate crisis, disruptive technologies, and a sharp decline in international cooperation. The resurgence of nuclear risk is especially driven by geopolitical tensions, such as ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine. Together, these factors signal a critical moment for humanity, emphasizing the urgent need for renewed global collaboration to prevent catastrophe.