US raises possibility of nuclear war which would destroy civilization: Scholar

An American writer and retired professor says the administration of US President Donald Trump has raised “the possibility of a nuclear war which would destroy the civilization.”

James Petras, who has written dozens of books on international issues, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Saturday while commenting on a statement by a top US commander who has warned of an imminent war with Russia.

General Robert Neller, the commander of the US Marine Corps stationed in Norway, on Thursday called on his troops to be ready for redeployment for a potential war with Russia and the Pacific region.

"I hope I'm wrong, but there's a war coming," Neller told the US forces during a visit to the Nordic country. "You're in a fight here, an informational fight, a political fight, by your presence.”

The commander referred to Russia and the Pacific as the next major areas of conflict, predicting a "big-a** fight" in the future.

"I think probably the focus, the intended focus is not on the Middle East," Neller said, when asked by a Marine about where the force saw itself fighting in the future. "The focus is more on the Pacific and Russia."

PressTV-War with Russia coming: Top US commander

A top US commander expresses alarm about an impending war by pointing to a shift of focus on conflicts in the Middle East to Russia and the Pacific region.

Professor Petras said that “this is a very irresponsible statement, that however raises the possibility of a nuclear war which would destroy the civilization as we know it.”

“The statement has no relationship to what the rest of the world believes is necessary. Most leaders in the world look at the possibilities of war as a catastrophic event, not something to prepare for,” he stated.

“I think the Trump administration is increasing arms transfers to Ukraine. It’s carrying out exercises in South Korea. It’s threatening Tehran to violate the nuclear agreement, [and] declaring Jerusalem" al-Quds as the capital of Israel, he noted.   

“All of these are very provocative and many ways have isolated the US and increased its hostility to the world with the kind of imperial paranoiac vision of how we should resolve conflict,” the analyst concluded.  

PressTV-Russia: US lethal arms delivery to Ukraine 'crosses the line'

Russia says the US is crossing the line by providing Ukraine with lethal arms.

On Saturday, Russia warned that the United States is "crossing the line" by providing Ukraine with "lethal weapons," saying Washington is practically pushing Kiev into "new bloodshed."

Sergei Ryabko, the Russian deputy foreign minister, accused the White House of fomenting the persisting conflict in eastern Ukraine between the government troops and pro-Russia forces in a region known locally as the Donbass.

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