Nuclear War Scenario... 72 Minutes Until the World Ends

Fears are increasing over the possibility of a global nuclear war, especially after rising tensions between the West and Russia concerning the Ukrainian crisis. French President Emmanuel Macron recently spoke about using his country's nuclear arsenal to protect Europe’s security. This was preceded by a warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin about "tragic consequences" for any country that sends troops to Ukraine to fight against the Russian military, stating: "Everything the West devises poses a real danger of conflict involving nuclear weapons, thus leading to the end of civilization."

These mutual statements raise concerns regarding the outbreak of a nuclear conflict and prompt questions about the consequences that may befall nations worldwide. This is what author Annie Jacobsen attempts to address in her new book "Nuclear War: A Scenario", which describes what unfolds during a nuclear war and assumes the end of the world within 72 minutes.

According to a report by Politico, while the scenario presented in the book is fictional, it is built upon dozens of interviews and documents, some of which have been declassified recently, providing a realistic basis for what could happen.

In Jacobsen's scenario, the following unfolds:

- A North Korean leader launches an intercontinental ballistic missile at the Pentagon.

- Korea launches another ballistic missile from a submarine targeting a nuclear reactor in California.

- The U.S. president has 6 minutes to decide on a response.

- The U.S. president is evacuated from the White House and is pressured to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles at all 82 North Korean targets related to the country’s nuclear and military capabilities.

- U.S. missiles fly over Russia, prompting Russian leaders to assume their country is under attack.

- The Russian and American presidents cannot communicate by phone and exchange missile launches toward each other.

- Within 72 minutes, three nuclear-armed countries manage to kill billions of people, while the survivors face starvation on a poisoned land where the sun no longer shines and food ceases to grow.

The book comes at a time when the two countries with the largest nuclear arsenals, the United States and Russia, are engaged in a violent conflict over Ukraine. A Russian state television host describes the conflict between Russia and NATO as "inevitable", and Iran is nearing the ability to produce nuclear weapons.

Jacobsen believes that part of the terrifying reality about nuclear war, or a potential nuclear exchange, is the insane countdown clock that has been set on everything since the moment nuclear launch capabilities were discovered. The fact that the president has only six minutes to make a decision underscores the madness of reality regarding the scenario's progression and unpredictability.

She also considers submarines to be more lethal in such scenarios, referring to them as "apocalyptic servants," noting that Russian and Chinese submarines can sneak within a few hundred miles of the U.S. east and west coasts.

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