US wish for pre-emptive action 'a prelude to global warfare'

Michel Chossudovsky is an award-winning author, professor of economics (emeritus) at the University of Ottawa, founder and director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), Montreal and editor of the globalresearch.ca website. He is the author of The Globalization of Poverty and The New World Order (2003) and America’s “War on Terrorism” (2005). His most recent book is entitled Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War (2011). He is also a contributor to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His writings have been published in more than 20 languages.
8 Apr, 2013 11:57 / Updated 12 years ago

The real threat of the escalation of hostilities on the Korean peninsular - and consequently the world - comes not from North Korea, but from the United States itself, political analyst Michel Chossudovsky told RT.

The director of the Center for Research and Globalization and professor of economics at the University of Ottawa believes it is the US, which is trying to light a match.

“Just a few weeks ago it was revealed that the Pentagon had implemented a so-called playbook, which was to ratchet up tension with North Korea. During the war games it has dispatched [nuclear capable planes]… We have to put it in historical perspective, because these threats have been ongoing for more than half a century, since the end of the Korean War,” he said.

Chossudovsky also added that it does not seem at all that the world is serious in its intentions at curbing nuclear threats as such: “Looking at US nuclear doctrine, we have a $32 billion refurbishing of nuclear weapons, which is barely acknowledged by the mainstream media. We have a $10 billion refurbishing of tactical nuclear weapons, which can be launched from a B-2 bomber, which have currently been deployed. And then we have a Senate decision which says that nuclear weapons are harmless to the surrounding civilian population and can be used in the conventional war theater.”

When asked what tactics could possibly be implemented to avert the current crisis, Chossudovsky said that he sees a way out if “the people across the land, in Western countries, come to realize that the United States and NATO are a threat to global security, and if they wish to wage a pre-emptive nuclear war on any country in the world, that is a prelude to global warfare.”

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.