𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Fears of a third world war are stronger than at any time since the 1960s, former prime minister Gordon Brown has warned. He said the “doomsday clock”, which indicates how close humanity is to a global catastrophe, is “moving ever closer to midnight”. And he warned that Russia and China, along with the US under Donald Trump’s leadership, had abandoned international law to create a world “where might is deemed right and brute force dominates”.

But Mr Brown also named the countries he believed could provide the leadership the world needs. The verdict came after a Kremlin adviser threatened “semi-military action” against the UK in retaliation for Britain’s support of Ukraine. Andrei Fedorov, a former deputy foreign minister of Russia, said British drone factories could be targeted. Russia’s attempted invasion of its neighbour is just one of the conflicts with global implications taking place today.

Mr Trump has threatened “economic D-Day” on Iran, after military action failed to topple its regime, but his threat to impose sanctions against countries doing business with the Islamic Republic prompted concern in China, one of Iran’s major trading partners. China also claims ownership of Taiwan, which the US is committed to protecting.

Mr Brown raised the spectre of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when the world came close to nuclear war. In an essay published by The Guardian, he said: “Now, more than at any time since the 1960s Cuban Missile Crisis, the European public fears a third world war.

“With the nuclear Doomsday Clock developed by atomic scientists moving ever closer to midnight, and Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Poland and Germany contemplating either acquiring nuclear weapons or siting them on their soil, our world is descending from a rules-based order to a power-based one, where might is deemed right and brute force dominates.”

But the former prime minister said surveys of public opinion across the globe found people were looking to nations including Canada, Australia, Italy, Japan, the UK, France, Brazil and South Korea to provide leadership where the great powers failed. The findings are included in his book, The Future Starts With Us, published on September 1.

Russia’s threats against the UK are nothing new, but should be taken seriously, according to Solomiya Khoma, co-founder and head of international co-operation at the Ukrainian Security and Co-operation Centre, a major Ukraine-based think tank.

She said: “Russia has long been engaged in hybrid activities against NATO member states, while Russian propaganda has systematically promoted anti-Western narratives, a campaign that began long before the full-scale invasion.

“In particular, Russian propagandists have openly threatened London during television broadcasts, including as far back as 2022.

“The Kremlin regards the United Kingdom as one of its key adversaries, as Britain understands the strategic intentions of the Russian leadership better than many of its European partners.

“Therefore, we can expect further attempts at disruptive influence, including acts of sabotage, cyberattacks and information operations, while the prospect of direct military aggression appears significantly less likely.”

Meanwhile, mystery surrounds a visit to Moscow this week by John Ratcliffe, head of the US Central Intelligence Agency. Ms Khoma said: “The CIA director’s visit to Moscow is an extraordinary event given Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in recent years.

“The head of the US intelligence agency last visited Russia in November 2021 to warn Moscow of the consequences of a possible invasion of Ukraine. The current meeting may also have served as a warning to the Russian side regarding the consequences of continuing aggression against Ukraine, as well as possible plans for further escalation – both against Ukraine and against European countries.

“At the same time, the CIA director may have presented US proposals to Russian officials regarding the parameters and prospects of the negotiation process. If such proposals were indeed put forward, this could indicate a strengthening of the US’s role as a mediator. Washington is demonstrating its readiness to convey directly to the Russian leadership the possible consequences of refusing to engage in substantive and genuine negotiations.”