Should all countries in the world be able to develop their own nuclear weapons? More importantly, if so, can these countries be trusted? Richard Rhodes, the author of the essay entitled “Living with the bomb,” believes that they can. With cooperation and negotiations Rhodes believes nations can secure the deadly materials from which weapons of mass destruction are made of (Rhodes). He also believes that this will help reduce arsenals which will help eliminate possible future risks (640). The author somehow believes that regardless of the tensions in the Middle East and its surrounding countries, they are worthy of our trust in a matter as great and serious as their development of nuclear weapons. Throughout his essay, Rhodes cites several cases throughout history where there have been direct threats due to the fact that certain countries simply cannot be trusted. Nuclear weapons are an extremely big deal in our world today, especially when it comes to terrorism. The idea of relying only on cooperation to secure the materials required to build nuclear weapons is outrageous, and the only program that would eliminate all threats would be by disarming all countries of their nuclear programs. Although it would be very nice and beneficial to everyone if we could simply trust other nations in believing that they did not have motives in developing a nuclear arsenal, it is simply not possible. Although, Rhodes discusses the reasons why some of these countries cannot be trusted, he still believes that something can be worked out despite our differences. Rhodes also fails to disclose to his readers what a significant risk that Pakistan is. Rhodes did well briefly describing what took place after the Cold War and how the U.S.S.R. was broken up into many different countries. Rhodes also discussed the strained relationships with North Korea and Iran, and more importantly, he went into detail concerning terrorism which is the number one threat in the world when it comes to nuclear weapons (641). Therefore, history has proven to us that cooperation amongst certain countries, in regards to monitoring their nuclear programs and securing the deadly material that nuclear weapons are made of, is impossible and that they cannot be trusted. Iran has a nuclear program that is very devious to say the least, and therefore is a huge risk to everyone. Experts say that their nuclear program has expanded into a mature operation and has the capability to produce nuclear warheads in less than a year (Jahn).
Any country with a nuclear program has the prospective to make nuclear weapons. The fuel of a nuclear reactor at its core is uranium. Low enriched uranium is used in energy production while the highly enriched version is used to make weapons and is called weapons grade uranium. The atom bomb that landed in Hiroshima used 60kg of weapons grade uranium and since the advancements of warfare it now only requires 20-25kg to make a nuclear weapon. Plutonium which is a byproduct of the fission process can also be used for manufacturing weapons and only requires 2-10kg to develop weapons. The atom bomb that landed in Nagasaki contained plutonium fuel. Depleted uranium, which is the left over from the enrichment process, is used to make military grade armor piercing bullets. These DU penetrators have been used in wars throughout history the most recent being the Gulf wars. This is a disadvantage because the depleted uranium is toxic and has been scientifically proven cause birth defects, cancer, and death where it was used. All these effects were the cause of discovering nuclear fission and its
The continuous spread of nuclear technology and nuclear weapons is a threat for national security and the safety of the entire planet. The inextricable link between nuclear energy and nuclear power is arguably the greatest danger of nuclear power. The same low-enriched uranium that is processed in a nuclear power plant is the same uranium used to make nuclear weapons. Nuclear power plants are the contributors to these mass destruction weapon capable of wiping out the human race. An article published by the World Nuclear Stockpile Report says, “ Nine countries in the world posses a total of 15,375 nuclear weapons.
Out of all the dangerous powers and authority our government wields, possibly the most threatening powers are nuclear weapons. People tend to be frightened by things they do not understand, which makes nuclear weapons a perfect catalyst for fear. These weapons have the most overwhelming and destructive power known to man; although, nuclear weapons are only safe in countries that try to maintain harmony and stability. Nuclear weapons are defined as “explosive devices whose destructive potential derives from the release of energy that accompanies the splitting or combining of atomic nuclei.” This power is both dangerous and unstable in the hands of small, erratic countries.
9. Several nations currently house nuclear weapons. What could be the consequences of harboring such weapons? Should countries be allowed to possess nuclear
It was not until the 19th century that the atomic hypothesis achieved some progress. (The Birth of the Bomb.) The bomb has been used only two times on war. Both were in World War II, used by the United States of America against China. One by the name of “Little Boy” and another one named “Fat Boy.” Many will argue that the development of nuclear weapons has acted as a deterrent against severe conflicts and, to date, there are an estimated 15,375 nuclear weapons stockpiled around the world (Atomic Analysis.) Russia is said to account for 7,300 of these, while the US holds 6,970. The UK has 215, with Pakistan, India and Israel accounting for 130, 120 and 80 nuclear weapons respectively. The world’s nuclear stockpile peaked in 1986 at just over 60,000 weapons but has since steadily decreased. (Atomic Analysis.) The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons aims to reduce the spread of nuclear weapons, but its
...that it will not accept a future in which Iran--its Shiite, Persian rival--has nuclear weapons and it does not” (Allison). If many more countries create nuclear weapons, the world could be in danger of a nuclear war just like it was during the Cold War.
Nuclear weapons are a key device to show off to the world that their nation has the capabilities of economic stability and money to produce weaponry to hold against the world. These devices guarantee security as it is the final stage of veto towards of aggression (Miller 1). A country that is able to provide security, guarantees the ability to ally with other countries, protecting a non-nuclear state giving the ability to provide economic and military assistance. To own nuclear weapons shows that a nuclear-armed state has some value of economic stability. For example, if the Pakistani State were to crumble, the worst series of development imaginable would be terrorists abducting nuclear arsenals. As the terrorists would use to threaten other countries instigating chaos; however, safety is assured to the people that nuclear arsenals are easily disabled. Including the constant checkups, an arsenal needs require excessive knowledge about it. Thus, if one were to steal one from a manufacturing site, would be difficult to go unnoticed (Tepperman 2). Therefore, economic stability is necessary for a nuclear state like Pakistan or North Korea because when stability is lost, control of weapons is lost as
'Nuclear weapons protect our country. The very fact we have them means no-one will ever use them' In this account, I am going to discuss the diverse arguments which concern the issue of nuclear weapons, and whether or not their ownership actually voids use. Exploring both contrasting arguments, I will discuss both sides to the subject; arguments which support this statement contrast a great deal to those who rebut it, yet both sides have their valid reasons to their case; those who favour the statement believe that the weapons are somewhat of a taboo, however, those who support the opposing view look at the matter a lot more practically, after all nuclear weapons are extremely destructive. Supporting arguments have a legitimate cause to believe that their theory is right; there is a profound degree of responsibility which goes in hand with owning a weapon of this calibre, which taking into account the potential destruction they can cause extinguishes any possibility of usage. In support of this is a substantial measure of evidence, the cold war, for example.
Many countries want to join “Nuclear Club.” They view it as prestigious. Keeping nuclear weapons encourages other countries to develop them, either for protection or prestige. Nevertheless, many countries will not have the means to develop weapons and there are many countries will not develop nuclear weapons just to get into a “club.” Countries would need to have other, stronger motives to develop the weapons. But, if some countries have nuclear weapons, others will feel the need to develop them for protection. Protection and safety would be a strong motive. If volatile nations develop nuclear weapons, they will pose a worldwide threat to everyone. Nonetheless, their activities can be detected and then promptly stopped. It would be quite difficult to develop nuclear weapons without detection. The volatile nations most likely will work in a secretive place. By the time they are detected, they may have already developed the weapons. T...
About eight countries (China, India, North Korea, France, Israel, United Kingdom, Russia, and of course us the United States) hold nearly 16,000 nuclear weapons, which are more than enough to destroy our planet. Today we face a problem most people are concerned about which is our issue with North Korea. “North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons is an urgent national security threat and top foreign policy priority,” according to a statement told on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.
Since its origin in 1948, North Korea has been isolated and heavily armed, with hostile relations with South Korea and Western countries. It has developed a capability to produce short- and medium-range missiles, chemical weapons, and possibly biological and nuclear weapons. In December 2002, Pyongyang lifted the freeze on its plutonium-based nuclear weapons program and expelled IAEA inspectors who had been monitoring the freeze under the Agreed Framework of October 1994. As the Bush administration was arguing its case at the United Nations for disarming Iraq, the world has been hit with alarming news of a more menacing threat: North Korea has an advanced nuclear weapons program that, U.S. officials believe, has already produced one or two nuclear bombs. As the most recent standoff with North Korea over nuclear missile-testing approaches the decompression point, the United States needs to own up to a central truth: The region of Northeast Asia will never be fully secure until the communist dictatorship of North Korea passes from the scene. After threatening to test a new, long-range missile, Pyongyang says it is willing to negotiate with "the hostile nations" opposing it. But whether the North will actually forgo its test launch is anyone's guess. North Korea first became embroiled with nuclear politics during the Korean War. Although nuclear weapons were never used in Korea, American political leaders and military commanders threatened to use nuclear weapons to end the Korean War on terms favorable to the United States. In 1958, the United States deployed nuclear weapons to South Korea for the first time, and the weapons remained there until President George Bush ordered their withdrawal in 1991. North Korean government stateme...
In 1945, when the Americans bombed Hiroshima, Japan, approximately 140,000 men and women were instantly killed by the effects of American nuclear defense. With such extreme brutality and force how many people must die for one to finally realize the strengths of nuclear bombs and what damage they can cause. Nuclear weapons should be outlawed because they kill thousands of innocent humans at a time, destroy the environment, and inviolate human’s right to moral and personal freedoms.
In spite of the fact, nuclear technology is a benefit at times of war and several nations consider that nuclear proliferation should not be permitted as it is a tremendously destructive practice, and it can devastate the innocent humans and the environment as well. From the time Kim Jong-un gain possession in the year 2012, he used nuclear weapons for development which was also his father’s rule. North Korea also constructed a light water nuclear reactor and uranium fortification facility. Recent assessments suggest that North Korea’s stockpile consists around ten to sixteen weapons, and possibly develop by 2020 to high end approximate of 125 weapons.
South Africa is the only country in Africa to successfully develop nuclear weapons, and then to voluntarily dismantle them. To start Africa’s affiliation with nuclear weapons’, South Africa signed 50-year nuclear collaboration agreement with the U.S. in 1957. A nuclear weapons program was then started in1970 with scientists that were instructed to build various nuclear weapons. By 1990, the president of South Africa, F.W. de Klerk, ended the program with the aim of joining the NPT as a state without a nuclear weapons capability. In 1991 they then joined the NPT and came to a safeguards agreement with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). This was an organization that promoted peace, which they also performed, safeguard inspections. South Africa thus submitted its declaration on facilities and nuclear material inventories, and the IAEA then had to verify the completeness of our inventory.
It should be noted that we could never marshal the research and development of nuclear weapons. While most nations will sign treaties that state they will stop producing nuclear weapons, places like Iraqi will always be trying to build them. We can blame the United States and Russia for the trend of nations wanting as many “nukes” as possible. During the Cold War both nations tried to build as many weapons as possible.