Part 16/17:
Shea leaves the audience with an urgent warning: the increasing number of nuclear-armed states, combined with technological vulnerabilities and shifting geopolitical dynamics, makes the risk of a nuclear catastrophe more imminent than ever. The best safeguard remains trust—trust that commitments will be honored, that technological systems are reliable, and that shared interests in peace can prevail over fear and suspicion.
He emphasizes that the world must recognize the fragility of deterrence and the profound costs of proliferation. Without careful management, transparency, and reinforced trust, the nightmare scenario of nuclear conflict, accidental or deliberate, remains a pressing global threat.