The question is: Do Nuclear Weapons make the World safer? If we do not use them, would we make it less dangerous? Nuclear weapons can kill hundreds of thousands of people and destroy most military and civilian targets. In addition, they prevent heavy aggression against neighboring countries. Previously, a country could calculate the chances of success in a war by counting the number of divisions. Today, nuclear weapons can make conflict more manageable.
Unlike conventional weapons, nuclear weapons produce radioactive fallout that is extremely dangerous to people. This radioactive dust spreads across large areas of the globe, causing deadly levels of radiation. Another deadly effect of nuclear war is nuclear winter, which can cause widespread famine. Regardless of the method used to launch a nuclear weapon, its effects can be devastating. Ultimately, disarmament is the best way to protect our world. However, it has proven to be a difficult challenge.
Another problem with nuclear weapons is that they are not a good solution to all conflict. The proliferation of nuclear weapons has actually led to fewer great power wars than they did before the development of nuclear weapons. However, the spread of nuclear weapons has increased the risk of local conflict. War between nuclear-armed states has the potential to turn into a nuclear conflict, so leaders of nuclear-armed states are not willing to wage war, and they go to great lengths to prevent their allies from engaging in conflict.
Another major problem with nuclear weapons is that they encourage adversaries to modernize their arsenals. Russia, for instance, has been modernizing its nuclear triad. It is also developing its nuclear doctrine to allow for first strike. However, the continued credibility of nuclear deterrence depends on the nation placing a high value on the development of its nuclear arsenals. The United States is unlikely to provide technical assistance to other countries that have nuclear weapons.
While we might fear nuclear wars, there is one positive side to nuclear weapons. It is a fact that weaker states are still dependent on stronger ones in various ways. Moreover, the spread of nuclear weapons is better than feared. The danger of nuclear war is minimized. It is far better to have a few nuclear weapons states than too many of them. It is also possible that nuclear weapons would cause more wars than less, and that is why we should have them.
Besides the dangers of a nuclear attack, another concern with nuclear weapons is the uncertainty. If we use them in a war, we may not be able to avoid the inevitable retaliation. The threat of nuclear war may be too much to bear for the civilians. That’s why many countries keep their nuclear weapons ready to be launched on a minute’s notice. In addition, a nuclear attack will trigger an escalation of uncertainty.
Moreover, if we use nuclear weapons, we would be destroying life on Earth as we know it today. One use of nuclear weapons would unleash a level of destruction unprecedented in human history. Ten to hundred weapons would cause civilization to collapse. Currently, America and Russia hold approximately 95 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons. Other nations possess nuclear weapons, including the U.S., Pakistan, and France. This situation makes the question “Do Nuclear Weapons make the World safer?” Even more important.
We must also consider the threat of terrorist attacks. While nuclear weapons have helped prevent war and maintain world peace, they have also made it harder for weaker countries to add foreign armies to their own. This means that nuclear forces are not enough. We need technology, not just numbers of troops. We must cooperate with several European states in order to achieve top technological levels, which is politically impossible with nuclear weapons. This is a question that is ripe for debate.
Conventional wisdom holds that the more powerful nuclear arsenal a country has, the safer the world will be. But this is simply not true. In fact, using nuclear weapons to attack a country without retaliation would be a suicidal act. As such, nuclear weapons are dangerous to both their possessors and their enemies. Even more, they are highly ineffective in combat. If they are used, they could annihilate the entire world.