UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres holds a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York Jan. 21, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie E)
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Friday that the world is on the verge of a new form of tepid confrontation that is worse than the Cold War.
Guterres presented his priorities for 2022 to the UN General Assembly, where he raised five alarms about the current state of the world. At the press briefing following his presentation, he was asked whether the world is on the verge of "Cold War II."
Guterres said the world is not on the verge of Cold War II, but something worse.
"Not on the verge (of Cold War II) , but we are witnessing a new form," he said. "I wouldn't call (it) cold war. I wouldn't call (it) hot war. I would call (it) probably a new form of tepid confrontation."
The Cold War had a certain number of rules. It was between two blocs that were structured. Each of the two blocs had its military alliance. There were clear rules and clear mechanisms of prevention of conflict, he said.
"There was a certain level of predictability in the way that Cold War existed. What we have now is much more chaotic, much less predictable. We have no instruments to deal with crisis. And so, indeed, we live in a dangerous situation," he warned. ■
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres holds a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York Jan. 21, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie E)
