MADRID, June 24 (IPS) – They call it MAD: Mutual Guaranteed Destruction. It is about the doctrine of the nuclear-armed powers on military strategy and national security policy. And they spent more than $156,000 on their MAD policy, per minute, in just one year –2021.
According to their MAD doctrine, the large-scale use of nuclear weapons by an attacker with a nuclear weapon, with a second strike capability, would result in the destruction of the attacker and defender. completely annihilated.
Nine countries are classified as nuclear-armed powers, with the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France topping the list. Others: India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea.
Already existed before the war was raging in Europe
In its report”Waste: Global Nuclear Weapons Spending in 2021“The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (I CAN) revealed that in 2021 – the year before Russia invaded Ukraine – nine nuclear-armed countries spent US$82.4 billion on these weapons of mass destruction, which is more than US$156,000. … every minute.
Specifically, the US spent three times as much as the next line – a whopping US$44.2 billion, as reported by ICAN. China is the only country to surpass the $10 billion mark, spending $11.7 billion.
Russia has the third highest spending at $8.6 billion, although the UK’s $6.8 billion and France’s $5.9 billion are not far behind. ICAN adds that India, Israel and Pakistan also spend over a billion on their arsenals, while North Korea spends US$642 million, according to 2017 Nobel Peace Prize winner: ICAN.
Arsenal is expected to grow
Another prestigious global peace research body, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on June 13, 2022 presenting findings on Yearbook 2022assess the current state of arms, disarmament and international security.
A key finding is that although the number of nuclear warheads is slightly reduced in 2021, nuclear arsenals are expected to increase over the next decade.
Nine nuclear-armed states — the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea — continue to modernize their nuclear arsenals, and although total number of nuclear weapons decreased slightly from January 2021 to January 2022, the number is likely to increase over the next decade, SIPRI report.
90% of all nuclear weapons are in the hands of Russia and the United States
Russia and the United States share more than 90% of all nuclear weapons.
Of the estimated total inventory of 12,705 warheads at the beginning of 2022, about 9,440 warheads are in military stockpile for use.
Of those, an estimated 3,732 warheads are deployed with missiles and aircraft, and about 2,000 – nearly all of them Russian or US – are kept on “high operational alert”, according to the annual report. Director 2022 of SIPRI The global nuclear arsenal is expected to grow as nations continue to modernize.
Technology adds to the risk
Research Emerging technologies and the threat of nuclear weapons explains that specific risks posed by advances in cyber operations and artificial intelligence are still being discovered, but some of the risks include:
- Cyberattacks can manipulate information obtained by decision-makers to launch nuclear weapons and interfere with the workings of nuclear weapons themselves;
- The increased application of advanced machine learning in defense systems could accelerate the pace of war – giving decision-makers less time to consider whether to launch nuclear weapons;
- Countries may be eager to adopt new artificial intelligence technologies before they fully understand their implications;
- The risk of core nuclear weapons systems being attacked or compromised cannot be eliminated without eliminating nuclear weapons.
‘Get rid of the nukes before they get rid of us’
“This Weapons provide false promises of security and deterrence – while guaranteeing only destruction, death and endless power,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on June 20, 2014. 2022 in a video message arrive First meeting of member states United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weaponsin Vienna, Austria.
“Let’s get rid of these weapons before they get rid of us.”
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons prohibits all activities related to nuclear weapons, such as undertakings to develop, test, manufacture, manufacture, acquire or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear weapons. other nuclear explosive devices.
It was adopted in July 2017 and entered into force in January 2021.
‘Formula of Destruction’
The head of the United Nations also said that the “horrifying lessons” of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were fading from memory, related to the atomic bombings of two major Japanese cities during the Second World War. .
However, with more than 13,000 nuclear weapons still in storage globally, “the prospect of nuclear conflict that was once unimaginable is back within the realm of possibility.”
“In a world rife with geopolitical tensions and mistrust, this is a recipe for destruction. We cannot let nuclear weapons used by a few States endanger all life on our planet. We have to stop knocking on Doomsday’s door.”
The most destructive mass murder tool ever created
ICAN has many times warning that nuclear weapons are the most destructive, inhuman and indiscriminate instrument of mass murder ever created.
The term “catastrophic humanitarian consequences” describes their unique and appalling effects on humans, including lethal harm to people outside the conflicts in which they are used. .
The world at Doom’s doorstep
While the past year offers glimmers of hope that humanity can reverse its journey toward global catastrophe, The doomsday clock is set only from 100 seconds to midnighton January 20, 2022 warning the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
Time is based on the persistent and dangerous threats posed by nuclear weapons, climate change, disruptive technology and COVID-19.
“All of these factors have been exacerbated by “a corrupted information ecology that undermines rational decision making”.
“U.S. relations with Russia and China remain strained, with all three countries engaged in a range of nuclear expansion and modernization efforts — including China’s apparent large-scale program to increased deployment of silo-based long-range nuclear missiles; the push by Russia, China and the United States to develop hypersonic missiles; and the continued testing of anti-satellite weapons by many countries.”
Founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein and University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first atomic weapon during the Manhattan Project, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists Created the Clock. apocalypse two years later, using apocalyptic imagery (midnight) and contemporary idioms about nuclear explosions (counting down to 0) to convey threats to humanity and the planet .
© Inter Press Service (2022) – All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service
