The only thing nuclear weapons are detouring right now is US’s warmongering from being stopped because of MAD. Same with Russia. Unless all nations have them and are willing to use them it allows those with nuclear weapons to bully those without with impunity.
In the ideal world we would would be disarming, not creating more civilian massacre devices.
I agree that would be the ideal world scenario. But the world we live in is one where middle powers have to adhere to a disarmament treaty while the dominant nations run rampant. In this world, I think self reliance is at least somewhat functional as a deterrent
It is a shame the superpowers didn’t commit to disarmament when they had an appetite for it. The thought of the civilized world ready to end itself over political squabbles is a little much.
Particularly when we have essentially doomsday cultists running the US.
I don’t think the superpowers ever had an appetite for disarmament. The 1968 non-proliferation treaty was simply to stop MORE nations from acquiring nuclear weapons (in a fairly powerless way). It has always been a “rules for thee, but not for me” concept.
Russia and the US are patting themselves on the back to limiting themselves to 1500 weapons on the latest START treaty, and there’s really quite little way to prove that’s even true. Neither will give up the right to be the first to fire.
Even the 2021 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons fairly toothless given that only two nations gave up their weapons (South Africa and Kazakhstan - and voluntarily, not via enforcement) and others seem to be funding the weapons-possessing powers in exchange for protection and other benefits.
The only thing nuclear weapons are detouring right now is US’s warmongering from being stopped because of MAD. Same with Russia. Unless all nations have them and are willing to use them it allows those with nuclear weapons to bully those without with impunity.
In the ideal world we would would be disarming, not creating more civilian massacre devices.
I agree that would be the ideal world scenario. But the world we live in is one where middle powers have to adhere to a disarmament treaty while the dominant nations run rampant. In this world, I think self reliance is at least somewhat functional as a deterrent
It is a shame the superpowers didn’t commit to disarmament when they had an appetite for it. The thought of the civilized world ready to end itself over political squabbles is a little much.
Particularly when we have essentially doomsday cultists running the US.
I don’t think the superpowers ever had an appetite for disarmament. The 1968 non-proliferation treaty was simply to stop MORE nations from acquiring nuclear weapons (in a fairly powerless way). It has always been a “rules for thee, but not for me” concept.
Russia and the US are patting themselves on the back to limiting themselves to 1500 weapons on the latest START treaty, and there’s really quite little way to prove that’s even true. Neither will give up the right to be the first to fire.
Even the 2021 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons fairly toothless given that only two nations gave up their weapons (South Africa and Kazakhstan - and voluntarily, not via enforcement) and others seem to be funding the weapons-possessing powers in exchange for protection and other benefits.