Nuclear Weapons

Matt MiChael

GVPT200

Blog Post

Nuclear Weapons

            For the last few decades, nuclear weapons have been up for debate. It all started during world WWII with the race to build these destructive weapons. Throughout the years the mere existence of these weapons have caused fear and misery in the hearts of many defenseless countries. Even now, there is a divide between countries who have nuclear weapons and those who do not. Nuclear weapons are by far a threat to the survival of the human race. Nuclear weapons should be disarmed due to its political injustice and the danger it presents to people.

            The presence of nuclear weapons promotes coercion between certain countries. Countries use nuclear weapons as a deterrence to prevent other countries to undertake an action. Deterrence strategies consist of having the ability to use force. Nuclear weapons give certain countries this power to haunt over their adversaries. Sometimes these “adversaries” are nothing more than countries that have no means of defending themselves are forced to comply because they feel they have no other choice. This belittles countries preventing them from ever becoming a great power. While using deterrence to prevent countries from taking certain unwanted actions, compellence is also used to force another country to take certain actions. These countries with nuclear weapons use their power to force other countries to do certain actions they want to occur. The fear surrounding nuclear weapons allows countries that are armed to get away with many more things compared to other countries. The United States is one of five countries that are deemed a nuclear weapon zone. Much fear resides with other countries and the U.S. because of what the U.S. is capable of doing. This is why countries tend to be allies of the United States rather than enemies. When the United States presents sanctions against countries the rest of the world are more likely to agree. In 2012, the United States proposed sanction of Eritrea due to their possible aid to Somalia militants. Afterwards, the United Nations backed the United States with sanctions leaving a defenseless country in a state of even more political and economic instability. Where is the justice in targeting a country that cannot defend itself in ways others can?

            The use of nuclear weapons was clearly seen during WWII by the United States. The attacks on Japan at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were an insightful viewing of how dangerous these weapons are. These attacks killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people. The impact of a nuclear bomb can be felt for years after it explodes, as the radiation and gases can continue to make people sick. Nuclear weapons are the deadliest weapons to have ever been created. Total disarmament is necessary to preserve life, as we know it. If nuclear weapons were launched in one of today’s modern cities such as New York, Los Angeles, London, etc. millions of lives would be lost instantaneously. This should provide a clear understanding of how devastating nuclear weapons are in the world.