We are heading towards a nuclear war

Original Source (Spiegel, 2006) - Translated March 2014 by Robert Boettcher

Interview with Stanislaw Lem: "We are heading towards a Nuclear war!"

In one of his last interviews Science-Fiction-Author Stanislaw Lem expresses his frustration with the world. He curses about President Bush, ranted about his country Poland. At the end of his life the big old man of the futuristic novel was quite a pessimist.

Question: I wanted to ask whether life has a purpose. But maybe that question is to general, so I ask instead: Does life have a future?

Lem: Regarding the question of the future of mankind I always feel a certain unease. Because we steer inevitably towards a nuclear war. Unfortunately I do not know when the final clash will happen. If I would know, I would preferably sit myself into the strongroom of the american president.

Question: But that is a terrible prognosis.

Lem: Terrible, but based on facts. It suffices to call before ones eye a part of the political landscape: When Teheran announced to continue its nuclear program, the israeli politican Benjamin Netanjahu said that he had a plan to bombard the iranian nuclear installations. As reaction Teheran rockets of medium and long range in russia to use them in case of an attack. Such a tension is no announcement of a lasting peace.

Question: You mean to say, the United States could lose control in this conflict?

Lem: The United States are - as has been said previously by the canadian prime minister - a Giant without head. President Bush has the characteristic of being stupid. Witness to this gives, for example, the fact that he advocates against evolution theory, in favour of a so called intelligent project which deals with the fact that it is not known what it deals with. His whole administration propagates this idiotic theory, its members are lacking intelligence.

Question: With Bush's "intelligent project" you mean the idea that god has influenced evolution. That is rejected by science, but not from the right. Does Bush seek advice in his decisions from the creator?

Lem: Not all rights are stupid, there are also reasonable rights. The english conservatives for example are no idiots.

Question: And the polish rights who just ascended to power?

Lem: What are we talking about here? Excuse me but poland is in the back of beyond - concerning civilization, and it counts nothing in the world. Noone is interested that we got some drakes here. If I was 30 years younger, I would leave poland anew. But where to head towards? Its uncomfortable everywhere. Switzerland is boring, the US dumb....

Question: What is your oppinion to lustration, the expiation of society that the Kaczynskis have written on their banners?

Lem: That makes no sense. One has to look into the future, not the past. (...) We are facing other challenges now. Crowds of of mohair-barett-wearers wont help us, if some arabs laid a bomb in the warsaw subway. Some time back an experiment has been conducted with the intention of testing the awareness of polish society in case of a terroristic attack. In a public place a parcel was placed. And what happened? Someone called the police? No! Because one of our countrymen had stolen the package! Such is our civic attitude. One should work on that, and not on the past, which does not exist anymore and wont exist again.

(...) The world grows ever more apart. Iraq is in disorder. In Syria not all is well. Teheran wont get scared from the UN Security Council. I think it is really unimportant who is president in poland. It is important who is president in the US. Every day dozens of people die in Iraq and this blockhead says things are getting better. What can one do with such a person?

Question: Do you hope for an impeachment of Bush?

Lem: There is no legal basis for that. Even if he was hit by an ugly arab, there would still be the vice-president, Cheney, who is not better than Busy. Because of such people the world becomes worse and worse.

Question: Is there no hope?

Lem: For the world? Bad prospects. How can one effectively combat increasing terrorism, if in such cases even death penalty does help? The terrorist are literally looking forward to die. As I said in the beginning: Slowly, but inevitably we are heading towards a nuclear conflict. That is no special insight, but a matter of course.

The Interview was conducted by Przemyslaw Szubartowicz. It was published on 16.12.2005 in the polish newspaper "Przeglad". SPIEGEL ONLINE published excerpts from it. Translation: Marta Glowacka