Understand instantly
  • Nuclear discourse around the world is getting tougher
  • At least nine countries have nuclear weapons
  • Nuclear rhetoric has regained its dominance
  • The nuclear weapons industry enjoys profits
  • Nuclear weapons - the threat of mass human annihilation
References
Nuclear
The usage of nuclear weapons frightens a lot of people. Pixabay/ Pexels

Nuclear discourse around the world is getting tougher

NATO is reported to be launching its annual nuclear drills, involving 2 000 troops from eight air bases. The exercise, Steadfast Noon, will include training flights over Western Europe with a total of 60 aircraft taking part. These include fighter jets capable of carrying US nuclear bombs deployed in Europe and long-range bombers, as well as surveillance and refueling aircraft.

NATO stresses that Steadfast Noon is a "routine and regular exercise" and not a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, it is stressed that they are intended to make clear to Moscow that NATO is ready to defend itself with nuclear weapons if necessary.

However, Russia is also not slowing down and is increasing its nuclear capabilities. US investigators have even claimed to have identified the likely deployment site in Russia of the 9M730 Burevestnik, the "invincible" nuclear-armed cruise missile promoted by President Vladimir Putin.

V. Putin has said that this weapon, which NATO calls the SSC-X-9 "Skyfall", has an almost unlimited range and can evade US missile defenses. Moreover, as recently as this September, Mr Putin announced a renewed policy on the use of Russian nuclear weapons.

The new guidelines allow for a nuclear response to air strikes on Russian territory or to attacks by a non-nuclear-weapon state supported by the nuclear-armed states. This is a significant change, especially given that Putin equates the defeat in Ukraine with an existential threat to his country, to be able to apply an "exceptional case" for the use of nuclear weapons under Russia's existing nuclear doctrine.

However, when it comes to nuclear capabilities, it is not worth limiting oneself to Russia or the United States. Other countries around the world also have quite extensive nuclear arsenals, and recently, both these and the harsh nuclear rhetoric have only increased.

Russia has the most nuclear weapons. Egor Filin/Unsplash
Russia has the most nuclear weapons. Egor Filin/Unsplash

At least nine countries have nuclear weapons

There are now officially 9 countries in the world with nuclear weapons. These are Russia, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea.

These states have around 12 100 nuclear warheads and more than 9500 of them are in active military stockpiles. Although this is far less than the 70,000 or so nuclear warheads possessed by the nuclear-armed states during the Cold War, it is estimated that current nuclear arsenals will only grow over the next decade. It is also worrying that the nuclear-armed states today possess nuclear weapons, many of which are many times more powerful than the nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima[1].

According to the latest figures, Russia has the largest number of approved nuclear weapons: more than 5 500 nuclear warheads. The United States is just behind with 5,044 nuclear weapons, which are stored in the US and 5 other countries: Turkey, Italy, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. These two countries alone account for almost 90% of the world's nuclear weapons.

However, other countries also have such capabilities. The total number of nuclear warheads in North Korea and Israel has not been confirmed, but it is estimated that North Korea has enough material to build around 40-50 individual weapons, and Israel has even more.

In addition, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey have US nuclear weapons. The United States claims that it maintains operational control over these weapons, but their deployment in these countries helps the US plan for nuclear war. For his part, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced only last year that his country had begun receiving Russian tactical nuclear weapons[2].

In total, as many as 34 countries around the world support the possession and use of nuclear weapons. These include: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Montenegro, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, North Macedonia, Sweden, Turkey and Turkey. 

Nuclear rhetoric has regained its dominance

Following Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, transparency on nuclear forces has diminished around the world, and the debate on nuclear force-sharing agreements has become increasingly urgent. 

Diplomacy of nuclear arms control and disarmament suffered more major setbacks in 2023. In February 2023, Russia announced the suspension of its participation in the 2010 Treaty on Further Measures to Reduce and Limit Strategic Offensive Arms, to which the US responded in kind[3].

Russia also withdrew its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), citing an "imbalance" with the US, which has not ratified the Treaty since its inception in 1996. Russia only confirmed that it would remain a signatory and continue participating in the CTBTO.

Tensions over nuclear weapons are also rising in the Middle East. The informal agreement reached in 2023 between Iran and the US seems to have temporarily eased tensions between the two countries, which were exacerbated by Iran's military support for Russian forces in Ukraine. However, the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas in October last year has changed the agreement and attacks on US forces by Iranian-backed groups have disrupted diplomatic efforts between Iran and the US.

Nuclear explosions could cause a lot of damage. Pixabay/ Pexels
Nuclear explosions could cause a lot of damage. Pixabay/ Pexels

The nuclear weapons industry enjoys profits

And the nuclear industry is making a fortune out of it. In 2023, China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States will have spent $91.4 billion on nuclear weapons, or $173,884 per minute or $2,898 per second. 

The US share of the total spending—$51.5 billion—is higher than that of all other nuclear-weapon states combined. China, which spent $11.8 billion, is in second place, and Russia, which spent $8.3 billion, is in third place. In fact, the UK's nuclear spending also rose significantly last year, by 17% to $8.1 billion.

Worldwide, nuclear-weapon states have nuclear weapons production contracts with companies totaling at least $387 billion, which in some cases will last until 2040. In 2023, companies involved in producing nuclear weapons have received new contracts worth just under $7.9 billion. These companies spent $118 million on lobbying in the US and France alone[4].

Such high profits encourage nuclear weapons manufacturers to spend millions - at least $6.3 million in 2023 - to influence government policies and public attitudes towards nuclear weapons by supporting think tanks. In 2023, at least $123 million has been spent on hiring more than 540 lobbyists and funding major think tanks that influence the nuclear weapons debate.

Nuclear weapons - the threat of mass human annihilation

The history of the use of nuclear weapons dates back to 1945, when the US used atomic bombs for the first and so far only time against Japan in World War II. The first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on 6 August and the second on Nagasaki on 9 August.

These bombs caused massive destruction and many civilian deaths. Although they ended the war, they also raised important ethical questions about using such weapons. After all, nuclear explosions not only destroy cities but also cause radiation pollution, which affects millions of people. Such explosions can have a long-term impact on the environment and on human health and on humanity as a whole, on our planet[5].

Even accidental or misunderstood military actions can lead to nuclear conflict. This threat is particularly acute in the context of tensions between nuclear powers. There is also the fear that terrorist groups may acquire nuclear weapons or materials and use them in a mass attack. According to experts, the more countries possess nuclear weapons, the more difficult it is to ensure stability and control.