UN Warns Nuclear Risk Is Highest Since 1989 as Annual Weapons Spending Jumps 20%

1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 11

António Guterres told the UN General Assembly the world faces its most dangerous nuclear moment since 1989, citing a renewed global arms buildup and rising instability in command-and-control.
Nearly $3 trillion in military spending last year and a 20% rise in annual nuclear-weapons outlays underscore the shift, while the Arms Control Association warned of an unprecedented three-way buildup by China, Russia and the US.
Russia's roughly 4,400 warheads, North Korea's estimated 120 and US and Chinese modernization programs are compounding fears as strategic arms treaties lapse and high-level disarmament talks remain absent.
The warning comes amid unresolved wars in Ukraine, Iran and the Middle East, with the UN also flagging AI risks and the rapid weaponization of space as new factors that could sharpen nuclear miscalculation.

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