Unlike the 1980s, when there were multiple demonstrations in Europe against nuclear weapons installed on the continent, today it seems that this issue is over and does not require further attention. It is a very serious mistake, since the nuclear threat is very present, the proliferation of these weapons continues, and their use is even threatened. For all these reasons, the fact that the Nobel Peace Prize has gone to the Nihon Hidankyo organization is a success, not only to recognize those who suffered the effects of the bombs dropped in 1945 on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but also to warn of the risks involved. the existence of large nuclear arsenals.
In 2017, seven years ago, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the International Campaign for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons, made up of 652 organizations from around the world and which seeks the signing and ratification of a treaty that prohibits the use of these weapons. arms. Currently, 73 countries have already ratified it. This year’s Nobel, and unlike 2017, is because we are no longer talking about an assumed risk, but rather a serious problem since Putin threatens to use tactical nuclear weapons, has deployed missiles in Belarus, and the nine Countries that have nuclear weapons are modernizing their arsenals, the maintenance of which will cost $91,393 million in 2023, that is, $2,898 per second.
The Norwegian Committee that awards this award highlighted that relations between the United States and Russia and their respective allies are today at their most toxic point since the Cold War. The term toxic is pertinent, since the increase in the weapons deployed and their modernization represents a poisoning of international relations and the possibility of death due to poisoning. What’s more, the nuclear deterrent that allowed nuclear weapons to never be used since 1945, due to mutually assured destruction, seems to no longer serve today, when, in a more than senseless way, the threat is played to use this type of weaponry.
I must remember that we are talking about the existence of 12,121 nuclear warheads at the beginning of the year, of which 9,585 were in military arsenals ready for immediate use. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), when speaking on this topic, reminds us of the deterioration of geopolitical relations at the current time, with the insecurity that this entails. Although 90% of these weapons are in the hands of the United States and Russia, there are concerns that China, India, Pakistan and North Korea are pursuing the ability to deploy multiple nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles, and that transparency on this issue has decreased since the Ukrainian war. We play with fire. Also that Iran is about to acquire nuclear weapons in the short term, threatening Israel, which has 90 nuclear warheads.
As if these dynamics were not enough, we must remember that there is a setback in the nuclear disarmament treaties. In February of last year, Russia announced that it was suspending its participation in the 2010 Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. In response, the United States has also suspended the sharing and publication of treaty data.
The new Nobel, therefore, has been very timely. It reminds us of the risks of the current escalation, and the need to place this issue on the agenda of the foreign policy priorities of the States, in addition to inviting citizens to mobilize again in favor of nuclear disarmament, today forgotten. .
#forgetting #nuclear #risk
