The term 'aftermath' as used in the passage means

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the given question:

The evidence given so far demonstrates that a nuclear exchange in the Northern Hemisphere would have an unavoidable global aftermath making the continued existence of mankind impossible anywhere. It is also very improbable that a nuclear exchange would be confined exclusively to the vicinity of the industrialised states. Current developments indicate that a nuclear disaster would be carried into the territories of the developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. These developments include the preparations being made by aggressive forces for the armed seizure of the Middle Eastern oilfields, the nuclear missile deployment in the south of Western Europe, the establishment of military bases for the Rapid Deployment Forces in North Africa and the Indian Ocean, and the tensions in the South Atlantic and the Caribbean.