Mark Gongloff, Columnist

Just How Close Are We to World War III, Exactly?

We’re still testing how much conflict major powers can endure before they trigger nuclear war.

October 24, 2022 at 8:51 PM UTC

Mark Gongloff is a Bloomberg Opinion editor and columnist covering climate change. He previously worked for Fortune.com, the Huffington Post and the Wall Street Journal.

New Cold Warriors.
Photographer: Matt Cardy/Getty Images Europe

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Using mutually assured destruction for nuclear deterrence hinges on the belief that warring humans will do a calm, rational cost-benefit analysis of whether or not to nuke each other to hell and realize this game’s only winning move is not to play. One response that might spring to mind is: Dude, have you even seen humans?