Public sees ‘greater chance’ of nuclear war in Ukraine crisis

NEWS AND OPINION:

Is the unthinkable a possibility? This question might seem familiar to those who either remember or are well aware of the chances of nuclear war that emerged during the 1950s and have continued at various levels of urgency since then.

A pollster is now gauging the intensity of such perceptions as the Ukraine crisis continues. Without further ado, here are the numbers.

An Economist/YouGov poll reveals that 48% of U.S. adults say there is a “greater chance of a nuclear war compared to five years ago”; 26% say the chances are “the same now” as they were five years ago, 14% don’t know what the chances are and 12% say there are “less chance” now.

Such feelings are even more pronounced over the chances of a “world war.” Once again, here are the numbers, plain and simple.

The poll found 57% of U.S. adults say there is a “greater chance of a world war” compared to five years ago; 18% say the chances are the same now as they were five years ago, 12% don’t know what the chances are and 12% say there are less chances now.

Responses were almost identical when the pollster asked if there was now a greater chance for “a new Cold War.”

The poll of 1,500 U.S. adults was conducted Feb. 26-March 2 and released Friday.

RUBIO’S CHILLING MESSAGE

Disturbing news moments continue, like this one:

“A no-fly zone has become a catchphrase. I’m not sure a lot of people fully understand what that means,” Sen. Marco Rubio told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, advising that this condition would require flying Airborne Warning and Control Systems 24 hours a day.

“That means the willingness to shoot down and engage Russian airplanes in the sky. That means, frankly, you can’t put those planes up there unless they’re willing to knock out the anti-aircraft systems that the Russians have deployed, and not just in Ukraine, but Russia and also in Belarus,” the Florida Republican continued.

“So basically a no-fly zone, if people understand what it means, it means World War III. It means starting World War III,” Mr. Rubio said.

“It’s not some rule you pass that everybody has to oblige by. It’s the willingness to shoot down the aircrafts of the Russian Federation, which is basically the beginning of World War III,” he said.

THE ARCTIC COUNCIL TAKES A STAND

The Arctic has long been a location of keen interest to Russia. The region boasts strategic waterways and trade routes plus potential income from lucrative energy exploration.

It has is an ideal spot for homeland defense; Russia itself has 23,396 miles of Arctic coastline.

All that said, let us consider the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum established in 1996 to promote cooperation among eight nations with strong interests in Arctic issues; both the U.S. and Russia are members.

The organization is not happy about the situation in Ukraine.

“Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States condemn Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and note the grave impediments to international cooperation, including in the Arctic, that Russia’s actions have caused,” the group said in a joint statement released through the U.S. State Department.

“The core principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, based on international law, have long underpinned the work of the Arctic Council, a forum which Russia currently chairs. In light of Russia’s flagrant violation of these principles, our representatives will not travel to Russia for meetings of the Arctic Council. Additionally, our states are temporarily pausing participation in all meetings of the Council and its subsidiary bodies, pending consideration of the necessary modalities that can allow us to continue the Council’s important work in view of the current circumstances,” the organization said.

NEEDING THE NEWS

Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) now report a huge surge in demand for their content, particularly Current Time — a  24/7 Russian-language TV channel.

This has taken place despite the Russian government attempting censorship of both broadcast sources, advises the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

How big is that surge?

“Between February 24-March 3, Current Time videos were viewed more than 240 million times across digital platforms,” the federal agency said.

“Since Russia’s invasion, demand for Current Time content has increased dramatically among broadcast partners in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Estonia, and Bulgaria. With the increase over last week, there are now 261 affiliates now distributing Current Time content,” the federal agency said.

In the social media realm, VOA’s Russian Service reported nearly 17 million video views on social platforms between Feb. 23-March 2, Audiences also viewed RFE/RL videos 436 million times on Facebook, 305 million times on YouTube, and 83 million times on Instagram.

THE FIRST LADY ON THE MOVE

Monday marks the beginning of a busy time for first lady Jill Biden. She will travel to Phoenix, Tucson, Arizona, and Reno, Nevada, “to promote the President’s policy priorities, highlighted in his State of the Union address, for Building a Better America,” according to a White House press release.

“This trip will focus on uniting Americans around issues with bipartisan support, like providing job training and ending cancer as we know it,” the release advised.

The three-day excursion also includes stops at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; two community colleges; a Democratic National Committee finance event; and two major cancer centers.

“Additional details to come,” the White House advises.

POLL DU JOUR

• 84% of U.S. adults have heard “little or nothing” about legislative redistricting in their state.

• 24% overall are “dissatisfied” with how redistricting is being handled in their state.

• 19% overall are satisfied with how redistricting is being handled in their state.

• 55% overall are “not sure” how redistricting is being handled in their state.

SOURCE: A Pew Research Center American Trends Panel survey of 5,128 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 10-17 and released Friday.

• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.