Would the world be Safer without Nuclear Weapons? Discussion…

People all over the world strive for a nuclear free world, however the landscape is far more complicated than many consider…

Is a Nuclear-Weapon Free World Possible?

Anything is possible, but this at Highly unlikely. President Obama has stated that he did not expect to see it in his lifetime, and also added that as long as other countries possessed Nuclear Weapons, the US would keep their own arsenal.

There is a reason the US and Russia seem to extort so much political power across the globe. Of the 9 countries who are known to possess nuclear weapons, the US and Russia share 93% of the supply.

https://www.statista.com/chart/3653/the-countries-with-the-biggest-nuclear-arsenals/

Although these numbers have been reduced significantly over the past decade, I can’t see a situation where either side would decommission all of their weapons without the other having already done so.

Weapons of Mutually Assured Destruction

I have always found Nuclear Weapons an interesting, complicated concept to consider.

On the one hand, I can’t imagine a situation where I (personally) could ever press ‘the button’, or whether it would ever be truly justified to do so. There are always innocent, fearful people on the other end of that decision, and whether you believe in an ‘eye for an eye’ or not, where does that really get you..

On the other hand.. do I feel safer in a country possessing Nuclear Weapons? Mutually Assured Destruction was a concept coined during the Cold War dictating that use of such a weapon would merely be assuring your own destruction. A lose lose situation for both sides.

Do I feel safer living in the UK? I suppose the answer is Yes, in light of the way we conduct ourselves in foreign affairs alongside the US, nuclear weapons give us, and 9 other countries around the world who possess them, a back stop to conflict getting out of hand.

This concept of Mutually Assured Destruction takes trust off the table during tumultuous political times. We seen this during the Cold War, where tightened polictal tension never resulted directly in large scale fighting between the US and Russia. Neither side were concerned with hitting the other first with troops on the ground, the big elephant in room blocked the exit door..for want of a better phrase.

Would the world be safer?

This has been on the minds of the British people more so than ever, with the leader of the opposition (Jeremy Corbyn) running as an advocate of complete nuclear disarmament of the UK, regardless of other countries actions.

I live in the UK, and the idea of stepping back from wars, that only end up feeding a more extreme uprising, is really attractive. Would decommissioning nuclear weapons help in this cause…I don’t think so…

Nuclear weapons are more of a passive defence against the other 8 countries possessing them, and everyone else… We have certainly seen a reduction in war since their inception coming out of world war 2. Now we have them, possibly, the world is a safer place with them..

Would be interested to hear the people’s thoughts on the following questions….

Without Nuclear Weapons, would the cold war have resulted in mass casualty war?

Has Nuclear Weapons inadvertently created ‘peace time’ between developed nations?

Nuclear Weapons are too much power to have in any one countries hands?

Should Nuclear Weapons be in all countries hands?

Interesting to here everyone thoughts...