UN chief: Security threat seems higher than during Cold War

By KARL RITTER
Associated Press

MUNICH, Germany (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the world is probably a more dangerous place now than during the Cold War. With East-West tensions at their highest point since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, Guterres warned Friday that a small mistake or miscommunication between major powers could have catastrophic consequences. Guterres said in his opening speech at an annual security conference in Munich that “the threat to global security now is more complex and probably higher” than during the Cold War. He said he still believes the buildup of Russian troops around Ukraine won’t result in a military conflict but urged “all parties to be extremely careful with their rhetoric.”