Doomsday Clock Symbolism Grows as Taiwan Urged to Increase Defense Spending Against China-Russia Axis
The Doomsday Clock remains a symbol of global risk as multiple sources highlight escalating geopolitical tensions, including authoritarian pressure on frontline democracies, multi-front threats to Saudi Arabia, BRICS efforts to counter US dollar dominance, US deployment of on-orbit space weapons, and Finland joining France’s nuclear umbrella.
Frontline Democracies Link Taiwan and Europe
Lithuanian lawmaker Dovile Sakaliene urged Taiwan to boost defense spending during a joint conference of Taiwanese associations in Helsinki. She stated that national security cannot be compromised for other public policies. Sakaliene made the comments at this year’s Joint Annual Meeting of the World Federation of Taiwanese Associations and the European Federation of Taiwanese Associations. The event, themed “Democratic Resilience and Trusted Democracy,” drew more than 330 participants, including politicians and human rights advocates from Taiwan, Finland, Lithuania, Poland and the UK. [1]
Sakaliene said Taiwan and Ukraine are the structural safety pins of global stability. She added that Vilnius and Taipei are not two separate stories, with Russia and China working together on two fronts, and whichever folds first makes taking the other one cheaper. She served as Lithuania’s minister of national defense from December 2024 to October last year. Sakaliene gave a presentation titled “Resilience Under Pressure: Lessons from Lithuania and NATO’s Eastern Flank” and participated in the panel “Frontline Democracies — Geopolitical Resilience in an Era of Authoritarian Pressure.” [1]
She noted that Taiwan must invest sufficient resources to maintain its self-defense capabilities, as China’s military aircraft and exercises have become the new normal. Sakaliene asked if nations cannot protect their country, then who would be left to benefit from education spending, adding that if nations do not strengthen their own military, they are only strengthening that of the enemy. As cooperation grows between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, Taiwan faces a similar situation to Europe, she said. [1]
Finnish legislator Ville Kaunisto said Finland’s exports to Taiwan rose 67 percent in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year, reaching 150 million euros. Finland imported about 724 million euros worth of goods from Taiwan. If the current pace continues, bilateral trade could reach 1.8 billion euros this year, he said. [1]
Saudi Arabia Navigates Multi-Front Threats
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with US Central Command head Brad Cooper on September 14. The meeting is the latest development as the kingdom faces threats from the Houthis and from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The important East-West pipeline in Saudi Arabia was struck by a militia in Iraq on the evening of September 10-11. [2]
The Iranian-backed Houthis swept up the coast of the Red Sea last week, potentially threatening the Bab el Mandeb Strait. Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Press Agency noted that the Crown Prince received Commander of the US Central Command Admiral Brad Cooper and his accompanying delegation. The two sides reviewed bilateral relations and the latest regional developments. [2]
US said it would provide intelligence to Saudi Arabia. MBS had spoken with US President Donald Trump multiple times as Riyadh and Washington coordinate over the escalating situation in Yemen. Trump told MBS that the US would provide intelligence and targeting assistance as the Iran-backed Houthis make significant gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline. [2]
Arab News said on Monday that Saudi Arabia lifted warnings of potential danger in four southern cities on Monday after a series of attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis heightened security concerns along the Kingdom’s border with Yemen. The Saudi Civil Defense issued alerts for Najran, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Abha before declaring the areas safe. It later issued renewed warnings for Khamis Mushait and Abha and subsequently lifted those as well. [2]
In late July US CENTCOM noted that US Central Command and the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces conducted precision strikes in Iraq on July 28 against Iran-aligned terrorists that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure. The US said that the IRGC had directed around 30 aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours. [2]
BRICS Summit Counters Dollar Dominance
BRICS leaders at their New Delhi summit, including Xi Jinping, Putin, Pezeshkian and Modi, positioned the bloc to hedge against US dollar dominance. The family photograph did the political work the summit’s final declaration could not. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood shoulder to shoulder as the Brics summit closed in New Delhi on Sunday. [3]
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres attended the gathering of emerging economies alongside World Trade Organization Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, New Development Bank president Dilma Rousseff and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank president Zou Jiayi. As Washington leans on tariffs and steps back from the institutions it once dominated, the United Nations, the WTO and the WHO sat at a table built by the Global South. [3]
US Acknowledges On-Orbit Space Weapons
US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink publicly revealed that the United States now has on-orbit space-control weapons capable of defending against adversaries. Meink acknowledged that the U.S. has space weapons during his Monday morning speech at the Air, Space, Cyber conference. He said this is why the United States now has, on orbit, space-control weapons, capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversaries. [4]
Meink also made several other space-related announcements. The Air Force secretary said prototypes for the space-based Airborne Moving Target Indicator satellite constellation will be launched this month. Meink also said that space-based interceptors, the cornerstone technology of President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense system, are now flight ready. [4]
Defense experts were shocked by Meink’s admission. Victoria Samson, the Secure World Foundation's chief director of space security and stability, said that is huge because no US government official has ever said that before. She added that the US also now has to accept the Chinese and Russians doing or saying the same, and that this is not going to be in the interest of US national security. [4]
Finland Joins French Nuclear Umbrella
Finland joined France’s Forward Nuclear Deterrence Initiative as the tenth European country. Finland has decided to join forward deterrence, the two countries said in a joint statement on Monday issued after a meeting in Helsinki. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the decision was first and foremost about strengthening European security and it helps prevent escalation. He insisted that the initiative does not replace or overlap with NATO’s nuclear deterrence. [5]
France announced the Forward Nuclear Deterrence Initiative in March after US President Donald Trump raised doubts about the United States' security commitment to Europe and NATO. Nuclear-armed Britain, along with Germany, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece and Denmark joined when the initiative was first announced. Norway joined in May. [5]
With a 1,350-kilometre border with Russia, Finland has been the target of hybrid attacks from Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Finland's parliament voted in June to lift the country’s blanket ban on nuclear weapons, allowing them to be brought into or transported through the country when required for the country’s defence. Stubb said Finland does not intend to allow nuclear weapons to be stationed on its territory in peacetime. [5]
Broader Global Risk Context
These developments tie together as indicators of rising geopolitical pressure reflected in the symbolic risk level of the Doomsday Clock. Lithuanian lawmaker Dovile Sakaliene highlighted coordinated authoritarian threats from Russia and China. Saudi Arabia faces multi-front threats from Iranian-backed Houthis and militias in Iraq. BRICS leaders positioned the bloc to hedge against US dollar dominance. The US Air Force Secretary revealed existing space-control capabilities. Finland joined France’s nuclear umbrella amid doubts over US commitment to NATO. [1][2][3][4][5]
What to watch next
A steering group will be set up in the coming months to begin implementing Finland’s cooperation with France’s nuclear deterrence initiative. Riyadh appears ready to do a joint investigation with Iraq on the attack on the East-West pipeline. The US also seems to believe the conflict could end by the end of the year.
