I had thought I was a fairly aware person. I wasn't aware of the seriousness of this. It is appalling, even frightening, seeming to me similar to the situation we have with driverless vehicles suddenly becoming confused with disastrous results - only many, many magnitudes of greater seriousness.

Why is it that successive presidents do nothing to change this? Is it pressure from the military, from powerful corporate funders, from right-wing war mongers or simply a lack of courage and will?

Is it something else?

The reality is that no single person, who may well have no particularly understanding, ability or rational character, ought to be able to launch such weapons.

How close the World may have been during Trump's presidency is debatable. However, given his aggressive and isolationist view of geo-political policy, the risks posed by him once again occupying that office are too dire.