A former CIA spy has said that South America and Africa could be spared in the event of a nuclear war, as the world remains on high alert following US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Andrew Bustamante, a former intelligence officer, made the claim on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast, stating that traditional nuclear conflict would involve the nine nuclear-capable states firing at each other, leaving some continents out of the line of fire.
Bustamante explained that the likely targets would be concentrated in the northern hemisphere, meaning South America and Africa would be largely safe from direct strikes. He also suggested that south-east Asia and Australia could be spared, depending on the actions of nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. However, he noted that Europe could face fallout from prevailing winds.
His analysis was challenged by national security journalist Annie Jacobsen, who warned that even a limited nuclear exchange could trigger a nuclear winter. Jacobsen said that soot from fires caused by detonations would block sunlight, leading to mass starvation worldwide, including in regions initially spared from bombs. She argued that there would be no opportunity for warlords in Africa or South America to take advantage, as they too would starve.
Bustamante also offered a grim perspective on surviving a direct nuclear strike, saying that his training taught him that if a nuclear weapon detonated overhead, it would be better to take one's own life than to suffer a slow, painful death from radiation and organ failure. He stressed that the reality of nuclear war is far worse than depicted in films and television.
The interview comes amid heightened nuclear tensions, with the US and Israel launching airstrikes against Iran nearly three weeks ago. The risk of nuclear conflict is considered the highest since the Cold War, with nine nations currently possessing nuclear weapons: the US, Russia, China, the UK, France, North Korea, India, Pakistan, and Israel.
