Nuclear war is now as close as it gets

By Tony Magliano – Five months ago, I wrote a column titled “Dangerously close to nuclear war – please pay attention!” Now some will no doubt say that since nuclear war did not occur this column was a false alarm. Not so. Rather nuclear war was postponed by the loving intervention of the God of creation, the God of peace who has been able to inspire us – at least until now – to hold off from our insanity of launching nuclear global destruction.

But we cannot continue to remain complacent and assume that God will always keep protecting us from doing the unthinkable. For since the Creator has endowed us with free will in order to be able to choose, experience, and live the ultimate good, that is, the good of love, God cannot force us to love. For love cannot be forced.

And so, the dark powers, the powers of the evil one, continue to successfully tempt many away from selfless love and instead toward the destructive seduction of war – even the mass destruction of nuclear war – while the masses succumb to the temptation of blind indifference.

The recent firing of a U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) by Ukraine into Russia, is the first time American-made longer-range weapons have been allowed by U.S. President Biden’s administration to be used against Russia.

Moscow has warned ominously that this crosses a red line (see video: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/19/are-atacms-missiles-too-late-for-ukrainian-strikes-on-russia).

But Ukraine sees the use of these more powerful, more accurate missiles as necessary since the addition of 10,000 Russian-allied North Korean troops.

And since North Korea is also a nuclear power this presents yet another danger of nuclear war.

In response to the firing of U.S. ATACMS Russia launched its new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile which reportedly travelled Mach 10 (10 times the speed of sound) hitting a military-industrial site in Ukraine.

All of this should give us very serious cause for concern, because we are entering a new uncharted dangerous situation. What is next? And what is next could very well be an accelerating series of increasing strikes and counter strikes quickly moving to the use of tactical – lower yield but still highly destructive – nuclear weapons. And at that point the use of strategic long-range ballistic missiles aimed at the destruction of large cities would be highly likely.

“We are literally at the threshold of a nuclear war,” warned well-known former United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter.

The U.S., Russia, NATO, and Ukraine is playing the insane game of nuclear Russian roulette! The next trigger pulled may be the end. For a horrifying taste of this very real possibility watch this clip from the realistic movie The Day After.

 It is absolutely imperative that all of us urge our leaders to wake up and work to stop this march to nuclear war madness! Cardinal Parolin recently issued a warning along the same lines.

In 1961, speaking before the U.N. General Assembly on the grave responsibility humanity has in avoiding nuclear war, U.S. President John F. Kennedy said, “Never have the nations of the world had so much to lose or so much to gain. Together we shall save our planet, or together we shall perish in its flames. Save it we can, save it we must. And then shall we earn the eternal thanks of mankind, and as peacemakers the eternal blessing of God.”

As I write, it is the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe which inspires me to ask: “Do we really believe that Jesus Christ is King of the Universe? Or do we place him behind our nation, our political leaders and political party, corporate loyalty, and self-centred desires?”

Let us be most careful here to have our priorities in Gospel-centered right order. So that we will work and pray in such ways that the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ King of the Universe, is truly the king of our lives and world!

Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated Catholic social justice and peace columnist. He is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings. Tony can be reached at .