Nuclear Proliferation In The United States

Two main theorists of international relations, Kenneth Waltz and Scott Sagan have been debating on the issue of nuclear weapons and the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the 21st century. In their book The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: An Enduring Debate, they both discuss their various theories, assumptions and beliefs on nuclear proliferation and nuclear weapons. To examine why states would want to attain/develop a nuclear weapon and if increasing nuclear states is a good or bad thing. In my paper, I will discuss both of their theories and use a case study to illustrate which theory I agree with and then come up with possible solutions of preventing a nuclear war from occurring.

Since the invention of nuclear weapons, they have presented the world with a significant danger, one that was shown in reality during the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, nuclear weapons have not only served in combat, but they have also played a role in keeping the world peaceful by the concept of deterrence. The usage of nuclear weapons would lead to mutual destruction and during the Cold War, nuclear weapons were necessary to maintain international security, as a means of deterrence. However, by the end of the Cold War, reliance on nuclear weapons for maintaining peace became increasingly difficult and less effective (Shultz, et. al, 2007). The development of technology has also provided increasing opportunities for states

Countries have found nuclear weapons to be a very deadly tool that can cause immediate havoc among any nation. Both the desire of wanting to be the detonator of an atomic weapon and the fear of being on the wrong side of one has brought upon other nations the aspiration to create such weapons. According to Brennan Weiss from businessinsider.com, there are now 8 other countries that bear nuclear weapons besides the United States. Moreover, the US does not even carry the most nuclear weapons; but, however, Russia does. The idea to use the deadly devices and weapons back in World War II have swayed other nations into wanting to become just as strong a power the US had portrayed to be in the second world war. The manufacture of nuclear weapons has become an initial part of the army for the 9 countries that acquire them, and still causes worries to countries to this day due to threats of use.

On August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb is used in war on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, followed by Nagasaki on August 6, 1945 (Findlay & Hevly, 2011, p. XI). Both atomic bombs were fueled by the plutonium from the Manhattan Project. Death counts from Hiroshima ranged from 99,000 to 166,000, and 60,000 to 80,000 for Nagasaki from the debris, blast, heat, and radiation (Listwa, 2012). However, these counts did not factor in the rescue workers who entered the areas breathing in radioactive dust, nor had appropriate clothing and radiation gamma readers like present day to view levels of radiation. Between the United States and the Japanese government research and continued healthcare are conducted by the Radiation Effects Research Foundation. This foundation estimates that after the bombings between the second and sixth year there was an increase in leukemia cases, especially children (Listwa, 2012). Research continues to follow leukemia incidences, cancer in registries, and children of the survivors.

In the later fifties, the fear of the cold war and the use of nuclear weapons were still a common factor in America. With the rise of the space race, the fear of a nuclear attack increased throughout the states. Many Americans wonder if these nuclear tensions could have been avoided by President Kennedy. Regardless, these flare ups of tension continued to occur throughout his presidency.

It has been seventy years since the last military nuclear bomb was successfully executed and many of us feel that nuclear threats have decedent or vanished, but Schell informs us that they are full of life. The Seventh Decade examines how the nuclear bomb has continued to cast a dark shadow over global politics and has advocated for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. The book takes on a robust roadmap to a nuclear bomb free world that looks at the historical dark uncertainties of the Cold War, where the odds of a nuclear attack were extremely high during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis to the spread of nuclear knowledge and technology in the 1990s to unstable nations like Iraq and Pakistan, increasing the risk and fear of a nuclear war.

Given the progress of globalization, international security has become an entailment that all countries must work on in order to guarantee the perennity of world peace. However, this quietude is threatened by the growing menace of nuclear proliferation. Canada, as a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since 1969, leads anti-proliferation campaigns to ensure global disarmament.

Lincoln Riddle reports the effects of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs of 1945 were still tormenting many people in the cities for years to come. Riddle states that the combined death toll was about 129,000-240,000 people, but many more died in the next few month and years due to burns, radiation, and cancer. At the time the bombs were dropped, no one really knew the effects that the bombs would have on the environment or the people who survived the initial blast. Over the next few years, both Hiroshima and Nagasaki would see a spike in leukemia and thyroid, lung, and breast cancer. These numbers rose because of the people’s exposure to radiation. Women aged 22-30 were at a higher risk of getting breast cancer if they were exposed to more than

During, and near the end of, the second World War, it was becoming apparent that America and the USSR were emerging as world powers. Because of this and their opposing views on government (America being democratic and the USSR being communistic) the two went into the Cold War, an arms race where no actual fighting occurred. In order for America to show their power, they used the atomic bombs. Test bombings are good for demonstrating the force of weapons, but actually showing them in action is much more devastating. The United States' government wanted to let Russia know what it was up against if they decided to attack. Also, by showing this off we were able to see the effects of radiation and the destruction of the bomb. Had we not known its true potential, America and the USSR may have launched their large stockpiles of nuclear weapons and done much more damage than they were expecting.

At about eight A.M on August sixth, 1945 the Japanese city Hiroshima was destroyed by the deployment of the first nuclear weapon, nicknamed “Little Boy.” Soon after, at about eleven A.M the following day, a second bomb was dropped, called “Fat Man” on Nagasaki. Together, these bombings caused massive destruction. The death total was well near 220, 000. Only portions of these deaths were from the days of the bombings, with an equal number occurring later in the year from exposure to radiation. More have died since from leukemia.

The two bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II were the only atomic bombs ever to be used in warfare. The United States are the only country to have ever made an atomic bomb and use it. Each bomb alone weighed around ten thousand pounds. Little Boy was the code name for the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th 1945. Three days after the first bomb was dropped the U.S dropped Fat Man on Nagasaki. Sixty six thousand people died in the first few seconds after Little Boy detonated. Sixty nine thousand suffered from different types of injuries. Around forty thousand people died instantly when Fat Man was dropped just three days later and thousands later died from other injuries. Altogether and estimated one hundred and thirty thousand people died from both bombs. Even one hour after the bombings what remained of Hiroshima was still burning. A majority of the city was completely flattened. Ninetythree percent of all the nurses and over ninety percent of the doctors were either killed or injured. Since most of them were stationed in the downtown area of the city which received most of the damage. All the hospitals were either completely destroyed or suffered great damages which prevented them from any aid to survivors in need of medical care. Not till ten years after the bombings did the long term effect in the survivors become apparent. The increased risk of cancer in survivors was first noted in 1956. Not long after this did tumors

Nuclear weapons have only ever been used once in human history, and that was during World War II when The United States deployed missiles on Japanese territory, in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. At the time of bombing in 1945 only the USA had developed nuclear weapons, whilst today the pool of states consisting of nuclear weapons is still extremely small, with only nine states laying claim to nuclear technology and weaponry. This nuclear proliferation is explained by Darryl Howlett who explains this as the worldwide spread of nuclear weapons. For Howlett states are nuclear driven because of the ‘strategic, political and prestige benefits’ attached to nuclear weapons[1]. In the

Research on the atomic bomb was taking place in Germany and other countries but in the United States, There has been a great effort to research and build an atomic bomb. A project was launched in 1942 under the code name "the Manhattan Project" with unlimited of budgets by gathering notable scientists. They joined the project and succeeded it. The world's first nuclear test took place on July 16, 1945 in a desert near Alamogordo, New Mexico, USA.

One of the foremost growing concerns in the modern globalized world is the increasing rate of nuclear proliferation. Coupled with the burgeoning number of nuclear devices is the threat of a terrorist possibly obtaining a weapon of such magnitude. While one could argue that the rising number of states with nuclear capability is a disturbing prospect, particularly as many pursue such capabilities without the approval of the “traditional” nuclear powers, terrorists in possession of nuclear arms presents the most horrific outlook concerning nuclear proliferation. Terrorist groups, unlike states, are not organized governmental bodies, which complicates any means of formalized diplomacy or negotiation. Furthermore, unlike as compared to a

The effects of the Hiroshima bombing on Japan were life shattering. Death counts rose as high as 80,000, just after the bomb was dropped, and 50,000 more later died of injuries, radiation contact, sicknesses, and long-term effects such as cancer and birth deficiencies("Counting Deaths"). This totaled 130,000 dead. (“The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki”) “The plane dropped the bomb--known as "Little Boy"--by parachute at 8:15 in the morning, and it exploded 2,000 feet above Hiroshima in a blast equal to 12-15,000 tons of TNT, destroying five square miles of the city” (“The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki”). This was the power of just one bomb, the first atomic bomb ever dropped in history. The city of Hiroshima was left in ruins, with nothing left but rubble and bodies. Although the Japanese were affected tremendously, other areas were not as traumatized by the results, but they were still stunned.