The world is preparing for war, according to former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev and one chilling reminder that the end is near for humanity seems to agree with the sentiment. The Doomsday Clock is now only two minutes and 30 seconds away from midnight and experts points to Donald Trump and Vladimir as chief reasons for the reset.
The Clock that reminds man of the nearing danger of a nuclear showdown between the great powers - at present, that would be the United States, Russia and China - now reads at 11:57:30, which according to NPR is the closest to midnight since 1953. And when it hits 12, it will be the end.
The same reading appears the exact observation by Gorbachev. In a piece written for Time, the last USSR president warned of imminent danger. In Europe particularly, Russia and Europe "are now placed closer to each other, as if to shoot point-blank." The prevailing scenario could easily escalate into a shooting war - one that could devastate the world unless leaders are willing to talk.
"We must break out of this situation. We need to resume political dialogue aiming at joint decisions and joint action," Gorbachev called on the worlds' great powers.
But world leaders finding a common ground on nuclear disarmament and averting war seems a remote possibility now. The signs are not too encouraging, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - the same body responsible for the Doomsday Clock, which first ticked in 1947.
In a new advisory, the group's board has moved for a reset and adjusted the Clock, dialing up the second hand by 30 seconds. "Over the course of 2016, the global security landscape darkened as the international community failed to come effectively to grips with humanity's most pressing existential threats, nuclear weapons and climate change," was the Bulletin's explanation, according to NPR.
And in the same statement, the group pinned the blame on newly-installed U.S. President Donald Trump. "Donald Trump, made disturbing comments about the use and proliferation of nuclear weapons and expressed disbelief in the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change," the body said.
The Bulletin also pointed to Russian President Vladimir Bulletin as equally responsible. The two, according to board member and physicist Lawrence Krauss are prone to making crazy statements that nudge the world closer to a disastrous end.
"President Trump and President Putin, who claim great respect for each other, can choose to act together as statesmen, or act as petulant children, risking our future," Krauss said in a call for the two to turn back the Doomsday Clock.