Nuclear weapons are as controversial and notorious today as they were in August 1945 when the first atomic weapon was dropped on Hiroshima. These "weapons of mass destruction" inspire awe and fear, and some believe will eventually result in Armageddon. This paper will endeavor to analyze the extent to which the problem of Nuclear Weapons is serious, the causes of this problem, and how these weapons be controlled or eliminated. The problem of nuclear weapons is a serious one, especially as it relates to arms control reductions, the containment of the nuclear ambitions of states like China, Indian and Pakistan, and the control of rogue states like North Korea and Iran, as well as the terrorist issue. However, the good news is that these weapons can be controlled, and control could lead ultimately to elimination, so long as the USA and Russia set an example and take the lead in arms control.
[...] The third major issue is North Korea and Iran, rogue states, and in conjunction with that, the problem of nuclear proliferation and nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists. With respect to the USA and Russia getting back to the table, the need to reach a new agreement on arms control cannot be overstated. Simply put, as two of the original nuclear power states (the USA, Russia, France, the UK, and China) (Coyle, 129), the USA and Russia must set an example of leadership and consistency, especially as both of them are military superpowers, and between them they retain around 95% of the total nuclear weapons still out there in the world (Stratton). [...]
[...] Retrieved from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/08/russia-us-nuclear-weapons Bew, Geoffrey. (2007, December 9). Gulf nuclear power 'raises attack risks'. Gulf Daily News. Retrieved from: http://www.iiss.org/whats-new/iiss- in-the-press/press-coverage-2007/december-2007/gulf-nuclear-power-raises- attack-risks/ Branigan, Tania. (2009, March 12). North Korea satellite launch plan increases missile fears, The Guardian. Retrieved from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/12/north-korea-satellite-missile Coyle, Philip E. (2006, October 22). Changing Course on Nuclear Talks. The Sacramento Bee, (E1). MacAskill, Ewen. (2009, March 3). Obama offers to drop missile project [...]
[...] The IAEA's job is to ensure that countries abide by the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty and with all five official nuclear-weapons states now signed up to an Additional Protocol, the agency's moral power will grow (Nuclear safeguards: Every little helps). Many nations signed and ratified in 1996 the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which prohibits all testing of nuclear weapons, which would impose a significant hindrance to their development by any complying country. However, when we talk about leading by example, this Treaty was never ratified by the U.S. [...]
[...] Nevertheless, by setting an example, combined with diplomatic engagement and a stick in the form of freezing North Korean assets (Armstrong, 124) if necessary, America may hopefully yet bring an end to North Korea's nuclear aspirations. Another ominous development is the way in which rogue states share information and technology concerning nuclear weapons. For example, North Korea and Iran have long been collaborating on building missiles, and the two are thought to have worked together in Iran to improve basic North Korean missile designs at times when it has been impolitic for the North to test for itself (Proliferation: United in defiance). [...]
[...] Again, with 95% of the world's nuclear weapons, the USA and Russia are in an ideal position to “lead from the and push for further nuclear arms reduction. This would then put pressure on the emerging nuclear club of India, China, and Pakistan to reverse course, and would also act as a carrot and stick for the rogue nations of North Korea and Iran, putting further pressure on them to also reverse course. In today's world, it seems that elimination equates to wishful thinking, but that type of logic is flawed if the important nuclear powers pull together. [...]
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