The proliferation of nuclear weapons has had a major impact on how states operate both domestically and internationally. Moreover, the potential consequences to states possessing nuclear weapons (one of the three types of weapons of mass destruction) have caused a contentious divide between those who support the possession of nuclear weapons and those who are vehemently against it. While some states believe that nuclear weapons pose a lethal threat to innocent civilians and undermine international
unacceptable costs on an attacker, and that the threat would be carried out if attacked. And so deterrence theorists, both early and more recently have attempted to explain deterrence through several key elements: ‘the assumption of a very severe conflict, the assumption of rationality, the concept of retaliation”0.(Sagan 1994). Deterrence aids to hinder the growth and spread of nuclear weapons. That is because nuclear weapons continue to present a real threat to humanity and other life on Earth. Scholars
Nuclear arms proved to be the central force behind the fears of a global war during the latter 20th century. However, with the collapse of the USSR, and the legacy of the Cold War leaving the United States as the sole superpower, the tensions of global nuclear war seem to have eased. Despite this, both the United States, and the successor state of its once powerful rival the Soviet Union, still possess in their arsenals the ability to destroy civilization two times over. Russian nuclear capabilities
most important reason why a country has a nuclear weapon, this is based on a theory of realism, where it is believed that the international system is anarchic and states will do what needs to be done to protect their security. This reflects a need of being and feeling secure, where a nation will always want to do what is best to guarantee their safety. North Korea is an example of this. They state their reason for nuclear weapons is deterrence due to the threat of aggression from other countries around
never been the same. The threat of war requires countries to ensure their survival through whatever means is more effective. Prior to World War II, states would ensure their survival through technology and the quantity of their forces. The invention and possession of a nuclear bombs created a world in which the superpowers engaging in war could no longer be winners. The use of nuclear weapons also did not guarantee survival after the war. In response to rise of nuclear weapons, states had to revolutionize
“the number one threat we face in this world [is nuclear weapons] and [that] becomes particularly threatening if terrorists ever get their hands on any nuclear material.” (Find Reference) Hillary Clinton stressed that terrorist gaining nuclear materials was the clear threat and whilst there were mentions of Iran and the general proliferation of nuclear weapons, her main concern was nuclear weapons being utilised by terrorists. The discussion around terrorists obtaining nuclear weapons consists of a
Since they were first introduced during World War 2, nuclear weapons have been the strongest and most destructive weapons ever created and they continue to get more powerful. The first time the world saw these weapons in action were during the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The bombs that were dropped on those two cities had the combined power of 36 kilotons of TNT (Starr 1). This pales in comparison to the largest nuclear weapon which was created just 16 years after the bombings of
actual firing of weapons represents a sufficient challenge to a nation’s security to constitute maximum peril.” These were the words spoken by President John F. Kennedy regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Kennedy 's words truly described the new world order ushering in and changing the way States would handle self-defense, no longer was the use of firing weapons the only threat against the security of a state but also nuclear weapons. The introduction of nuclear weapons tipped the balance
The proliferation of nuclear weapons is a necessary evil in today’s global system. When the first atomic bombs were used at the end of World War II, many questions were raised about these new weapons. Debates about the usefulness of nuclear weapons only became more pressing during the next several decades, as the tensions of the Cold War presented the very real possibility of a nuclear war. As deterrence, nuclear weapons were, and still can be used to maintain peace, as no nation wants to be the
human history, the world was introduced to the awesome power of nuclear weapons. Since that time, there have been several different nuclear threats to the world, and one of those threats can be found along the Pacific Rim, in the country of North Korea. Like the dropping of the atomic bombs, it is also known that the North Korean government has admitted to possessing nuclear weapons, and in doing so, it stands as a silent, potential nuclear danger to the rest of the world. To understand this situation