Every year the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists sets its Dooms Day Clock signifying how close the world is to a nuclear catastrophe. In January 2024 they announced it at 90 seconds to midnight.[1] In 2023, they moved it from 100 seconds to midnight to 90 seconds to midnight. This essentially means that the world is still perilously close to a nuclear conflict. This may be a good time to assess how nuclear non-proliferation has fared in 2023. The year 2023 saw a further erosion in the nuclear arms control regime. The last decade has seen a resurgence of major power rivalry. Relations between the U.S. and Russia have deteriorated. The U.S. has come to view China’s rise as a threat and is embroiled in strategic competition with the latter. Arms control has fallen victim to the major power rivalry and their ambitions to achieve military and strategic domination of the earth and the heavens.
