Page 3 - aruba-today-20220329

A3
U.S. NEWS Tuesday 29 March 2022
Nuclear fears in U.S. amid Russia-Ukraine war: AP-NORC poll

By BEN FOX and HANNAH clear weapons.
FINGERHUT "If Russia's end goal is to re-
Associated Press claim Soviet Union territory,
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rus- that means they're going
sia's war on Ukraine has to push into NATO coun-
most Americans at least tries, which obviously I think
somewhat worried that the could escalate very quick-
U.S. will be drawn directly ly," said Pack, who works in
into the conflict and could information systems.
be targeted with nuclear Certainly, Russia hasn't tak-
weapons, with a new poll en steps to alleviate con-
reflecting a level of anxi- cerns. Putin issued what ap-
ety that has echoes of the peared to be an ominous
Cold War era. threat when he reminded
Close to half of Americans the world in a speech the
say they are very con- day he launched the inva-
cerned that Russia would sion that his country is "one
directly target the U.S. with of the most powerful nucle-
nuclear weapons, and an ar states."
additional 3 in 10 are some- In that context, concern is
what concerned about justified, said Tara Drozden-
that, according to the ko, director of the global
new poll from The Associ- security program at the
ated Press-NORC Center Union of Concerned Scien-
for Public Affairs Research. tists. "Whenever you have
Russian President Vladimir nuclear-armed nations
Putin placed his country's getting closer to conflict,
nuclear forces on high alert there's always a risk of nu-
shortly after the Feb. 24 in- clear escalation," she said.
vasion. So far, NATO and the Biden
Roughly 9 in 10 Americans administration have been
are at least somewhat con- careful not to escalate the
cerned that Putin might use situation, Drozdenko said.
a nuclear weapon against But she believes the public
Ukraine, including about should use this time to push
6 in 10 who are very con- for changes to limit the risk.
cerned. That would include adopt-
"He is out of control, and ing a formal policy that the
I don't think he really has U.S. would not strike first
concern for much of any- with nuclear weapons, to
thing but what he wants," put the time at 100 seconds watched movie about nu- "We are seeing almost mo- reduce the risk of an acci-
said Robin Thompson, a re- to midnight — unchanged clear war, "The Day After," ment by moment what's dental strike by an adver-
tired researcher from Am- since 2020, but still closer first aired on TV in the Unit- happening to these poor sary, and taking the final
herst, Massachusetts. "And than ever to Armageddon. ed States. people," said Linda Wood- authority for a launch out
he has nuclear weapons." It's difficult to measure the In the recent AP-NORC poll, ward, a retired phone com- of the hands of the presi-
Seventy-one percent of public's degree of fear over close to half of Americans pany technician from Hot dent alone.
Americans say the invasion time because polls use dif- say they are "extremely" or Springs Village, Arkansas. Historian Wellerstein also
has increased the possibil- ferent methodologies or "very" concerned that the The concern about nuclear sees a possible upside to
ity of nuclear weapons be- pose questions in differ- U.S. might be drawn into a war cuts across party lines the heightened state of
ing used anywhere in the ent ways. Alex Wellerstein, war with Russia. Roughly 4 in and even resonates with concern. He cited research
world. a nuclear historian at the 10 Americans said they are some young adults who showing that a crisis can
The poll was conducted Stevens Institute of Tech- "somewhat" concerned. were born after the Cold have the long-term effect
before North Korea test- nology in New Jersey, said The findings reflect not just War. of getting people more en-
fired its biggest interconti- people often won't bring anxiety about what seems Caleb Pack, a 21-year-old gaged with an issue.
nental ballistic missile on Fri- it up on their own but list it like a proxy war with Russia, Republican from Ardmore, "This thing with Ukraine will
day but also shows 51% of among concerns if given even if the U.S. isn't directly Oklahoma, was among inevitably end, hopefully
Americans saying they are the choice. involved in the conflict, but those who said that they sooner rather than later,"
very concerned about the The fear, naturally enough, also the unprecedented were "somewhat con- he said. "This could be an
threat to the U.S. posed by also tends to rise and fall saturation coverage of cerned" that the U.S. would opportunity for getting a
North Korea's nuclear pro- depending on what is hap- the war through traditional be drawn into the war and lot more people, especially
gram. An additional 29% pening around the world. news outlets and social that Russia would target younger people, invested
expressed moderate con- "We have these moments media. the United States with nu- in this as a political issue."q
cern. that are sort of high crisis
Fear of nuclear war has periods," Wellerstein said. LIKE US ON
been a fact of life for de- "And then they come and
cades. The Bulletin of the go, and people forget that
Atomic Scientists has pub- we had them."
lished its "Doomsday Clock" One particularly high point,
since 1947, showing a he said, was in 1983, a time
theoretical countdown to of tension between the
nuclear annihilation. The U.S. and the Soviet Union
latest update, in January, and the year that a highly Facebook.com/arubatoday/