It is "disturbing" that the threat of a nuclear war which was a taboo until recently has become quite common nowadays, former diplomat and author Rajiv Dogra has said.
He said the fear of next big war is almost immediate and "we now have means of maximum destruction along with leaderships who may not be responsible".
The world is sitting on a "time bomb" with widespread availability of nuclear weapons, he said, adding more than that "what was taboo until recently has become quite common thing to hear now. That is disturbing".
Mr. Dogra referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent assertion that his country would use all the means at its disposal to protect its territory.
Mr. Putin had ordered on Wednesday a partial mobilisation of some 3,00,000 reservists after the Russian military suffered a series of setbacks in the raging conflict with Ukraine, and also said that Russia would use all the means at its disposal, warning the West that "this is not a bluff".
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Mr. Dogra said even after the Balakot airstrike, a Pakistani defence official asserted that his country was prepared for a "full-spectrum" war, suggesting the use of nuclear weapons.
He also referred to new U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss, in response to a question, expressing her readiness to use nuclear weapons.
"There is no doubt that today the world, at least before the pandemic, is at its prosperous best... but along with that there is also a tremendous increase in the knowledge about the means of destruction... Coupled with that if you have leaders... who are erratic... then the chances of conflict increase," said Mr. Mr. Dogra, who had served as India's ambassador to Italy and Romania.
He made the remarks at a discussion on his latest book, "War Time: The World in Danger", in Chittaranjan Park in New Delhi on Wednesday. The discussion, which coincided with World Peace Day, was conducted by former bureaucrat and author Sumit Dutt Majumder. It was organised as part of the Bhavan Bookfest 2022.
Later asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi telling Mr. Putin during a recent conversation that this is not the time for war in Ukraine, Mr. Dogra said it's a "welcome step".
"This is the first time someone has said this openly... There have been meetings and telephone calls... but no one has expressed it as clearly in favour of peace as Prime Minister Modi did. That's a welcome step and other leaders should follow that example and build on that," he said.
