The Destruction Of Nuclear Weapons : The Horrors Of Nuclear Weapons

The birth of the Atomic bombs was during WWII, when the nations around the world were fighting against each other, due to disagreements between one another. At the beginning of the war, America was at a stalemate because they did not want to get involved in the war. Even though they were not involved in the war they were helping friendly allies with food supplies and ammunition. And then there was island to the east of the Korean peninsula, also known as Japan, who suddenly decided to send a full blown aerial attack on american territory. In december 7, 1941 Japan launched a full blown attack on Pearl Harbor, an American naval base. This was the turning point of WWII because this spark America to enter into a war. What the enemy did not know, was that the U.S. had a secret under their hands, and that was the weapon that would bring an end the war. An According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. the first Atomic Bomb was build in Los Alamos New Mexico during WWII under the Manhattan Project ("Atomic Bomb." Encyclopaedia Britannica”). But after the bombs were drop the suffering of the Umany people, gave way for the questioning of the actions, some of these questions were : was it the right thing to do, what effect it had in the places that the bomb were dropped, how was America affected before, during, after and the bombs were dropped, what effect did the people had after experiencing the explosion, but the most important

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.

The atomic bomb left a devastating aftermath in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of world war two. Both bombs killed thousands of innocent Japanese citizens, left radiation on the land and in the few survivors. According to the report of the general advisory committee the hydrogen bomb is more extreme: “a weapon whose energy release is 100 to 1000 times greater and whose destructive power in terms of area is 20 to 100 times greater than those of the present atomic bomb” (pp. 5), a weapon at this

Atomic bombs can hurt about 100,000 people. They can get burns, radiation sickness, or even die from just one drop of this bomb. America and Japan have fought for four years, and Japan wouldn’t surrender. To make them surrender, America’s scientists created an atomic bomb, and dropped it onto Japan, and they finally surrendered. This nuclear weapon was needed to end war. The bombs did stop war and ended the rivalry between the two countries. Although, the bombs would pass along to other nations, ruin America’s reputation, and it affected a lot of people.

Nuclear weapons have been used twice in war – on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. More than 210,000 civilians died, while many more suffered small injuries. Even if a nuclear weapon were never again exploded over a city, there are horrible effects from the production, testing and deployment of nuclear weapons that are experienced as a personal and community catastrophe by lots of people around the world. This must inform and motivate efforts to get rid of these weapons.

August 6, 1945. The day the world and warfare were changed forever. After the first nuclear warhead was dropped, humanity was, and will forever be on the brink of destruction. A single press of a button could end humanity as we know it, bringing total chaos and destruction to the earth. Nuclear weapons are considered to show the power of a country, have nearly been set off due to a false alarm, nuclear weapons are vulnerable to cyberterrorism, and if set off will surely bring an end to the world as we know it.

Just to provide historical background information on the issue I am about to address I will first set the scene. On the morning of December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The attacked lasted a little over two hours, but it was devastating: The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. The day after the assault, President

The United States had been in war for almost four years. Over 416,800 American lives were taken, and four percent of the world's population was killed in World War II. America needed a way to end the war as quickly as possible with the fewest U.S. casualties. A Japanese invasion was considered, but it would put American lives at stake. With the invention of the atomic bomb, President Truman made the most debated decision: the decision to use the most deadly weapon ever invented- the nuclear bomb. It was a very controversial decision. On one hand, the nuclear warheads ended World War II as quick as possible. On the other hand, it created mass destruction and devastated the two cities targeted: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Some say that the

The development and use of nuclear weapons in 1945 changed not only warfare, but how countries approach warfare as a whole. As Andrew Heywood notes in his book, Global Politics, says that there’s a tendency “for any weapons to proliferate” or spread. With that knowledge it should be assumed that many nations would want to obtain nuclear weapons after seeing what the power that they hold. A state being in possession of a nuclear weapon can deter potential enemies and make them a power on the global scale. The Cold War era and post- Cold War era both saw an in increase in the spread of nuclear weapons. During the Cold War, after the US first used a nuclear weapon in 1945, states that gained nuclear capabilities were the France, the UK, China and the Soviet Union. Post – Cold War era India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea all gained nuclear weapons and shows the problem with proliferation of them. India and Pakistan are neighboring states and rivals which can lead to the possibility that they could be used at any moment. North Korea is a dangerous militaristic state that constantly threatens other states. This illustrates that the spread of nuclear weapons is a global problem because nuclear proliferation can possibly put WMDS, weapons of mass destruction, in the hands of rival states or extremely dangerous nations. There’s also the possibility of them falling into the hands of non state actors such as terrorists groups. Nuclear proliferation and nuclear disarmament/arms

January 31, 1943, Germany finally surrendered to the Soviet Union. A major victory for the Allies, but WWII is not over yet. The battle with Japan is about to reach its end, the Manhattan project was a top secret US government project that produced the atomic bomb. President truman determined the atomic bombs could be used against Japan to lower the cost and US casualties for the war. And with Japanese unhappy response to the Allies Postdam Declaration they sealed their fate.

Even though nuclear power plants threaten the health and safety of many people, nuclear energy is being used in other ways as well, which may be even more dangerous. In 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, in order to end World War II. This event was the only time a nuclear weapon was used in the history. During the first two to four months, approximately 90,000 to 166,000 people died as a result. Wilfred Burchett quoted, “When you arrive in Hiroshima, you can look around and for 25 and perhaps 30 square miles you can neither see hardly a building nor a standing human. All of them are collapsed on the ground.” Yet, having seen the destructive effects of nuclear weapons, the United States currently still owns more than 7000 nuclear weapons, in which half of them could be launched in less than ten minutes. Russia is believed to be a holder of the same number or more nuclear weapons as well. The United States and Russia are the two countries with the most nuclear weapons, but in total, the number adds up to around 19,000 worldwide. Many people do not give a thought about this dangerous situation, since these weapons are

The development of nuclear weapons helped to end World War II, but in turn created their own war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The development of modified military missiles such as the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, or ICBM, by Americans and the Soviets, had an impact on the struggle of power of the Cold War. The importance of military involvement in the creation of modified missiles and engines were critical events of the Cold War. Additionally, the steps taken to get to space were a byproduct of this Arms Race and the Cold War. Because the United States and the Soviet Union feared what the other country would or could do with weapons of mass destruction and the thought of the opposing country being able to control

The atomic bomb has spread fear, terror, and uncertainty of the future around the world. Immediately after the first bomb went off, the Japanese were scared and confused as to what had just happened to their city. When just days later another bomb was dropped, it caused a tremendous amount of panic for them. As the word was spread throughout the world, it caused more and more talk of where else this could potentially happen. People no longer felt safe where they were but they couldn’t do anything about it. Even today the threat of another atomic bomb is lurking around all of us, and the idea of it is quite terrifying. For something as destructive as the atomic bomb you have to wonder, what if a military were to use this type of weaponry

Nuclear weapons are the most dangerous weapons on earth. One can demolish a whole city, potentially killing millions, and exposed the natural environment and lives of future generations through its long-term catastrophic effects. According to the UNODA- United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (2011), “Although nuclear weapons have only been used twice in warfare- in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945-about 22,000 reportedly remains in our world today and there have been over 2,000 nuclear tests conducted to date.” Nuclear weapons have been viewed as a threat to peace by world leaders. There have been debates of whether to let Iran and North Korea acquire nuclear weapons, leaders all around the world along with Liberals believe that it is a threat to peace and should limit the spread whereas neo realist have another belief that nuclear weapon can make the world a peaceful place. Because states would fear to attack each other. For example the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 and cold war- there were only threats and war did not happen because of nuclear deterrence. The Cuban missile crisis has frequently been portrayed as the only time where the world stood in the point of nuclear war between the superpowers. This is an example of how nuclear weapons were used to threaten the rival. Another examples would be that of India and Pakistan before they acquire nuclear weapon , they fought three bloody wars after having their independence but since 1998, after acquiring

The previously accepted nature of war stemmed from the Clausewitzian trinity: war is emotional, an experience wrought with passion, violence, and enmity; uncertainty, chance, and friction pervade the medium of war; however, because war is not an end in itself, and because, as a means, it is subordinate to its political aims, war must be subject to reason (Clausewitz, 89). With the first employment of nuclear weapons, however, strategists and military theorists began to question Clausewitz’s foundational ideas (Winkler, 58). Similarly, Allan Winkler, in agreeing with Bernard Brodie’s thesis, opines that the advent of nuclear weapons fundamentally changed the nature of war. Winkler’s assertion stems from his argument that such a nuclear duel would yield a post-war environment incapable of recovery for any parties involved (62). He further describes Brodie’s realization that “[t]he atomic bomb is not just another and more destructive weapon to be added to an already long list. It is something which threatens to make the rest of the list relatively unimportant.” (62) Ultimately, Winkler abridges Brodie’s assessment in stating that “the United States was caught in the paradox of having to prepare for a war it did not plan to fight.” (63)