Fears about nuclear war are reaching a fever pitch. Another grim sign of the times | Judith Levine

Fears about nuclear war are reaching a fever pitch, with chatter about a world war spiking since the US and Israel began their bombardment of Iran on February 28. Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs concluded, "We are probably in the early days of World War III," while historian Niall Ferguson stated, "I don’t think a World War III is likely," but "it’s not a crazy question." Newsweek published a map of "safest US states to live during nuclear war" in December 2024, and an expert noted "even a ‘small’ nuclear war would ... kill at least a billion people." Last week, France and Britain sent "defensive" warships to the eastern Mediterranean, and yesterday Macron said he would send 10 more.