Tag: Nuclear arms

trident

The UK’s Trident Nuclear Programme

Of the “official” nuclear powers (Russia, the US, France, the UK, and China), the UK probably has the most idiosyncratic approach to nuclear deterrence. Keeping the UK out of Russian–US nuclear arms control agreements in conjunction with US SLBMs is an opportunity for “unofficial” Trident test launches.

Pope in Japan

Popes Against Nuclear Weapons

The Vatican comes with its ills, contradictions and blatant hypocrisies in the field of moral theology and human existence, but on the issue of atomic and nuclear weapons, the position has been fairly consistent, if marked by gradual evolution.  On February 8, 1948, Pope Pius XII held an audience with […]

Nuclear Alert Over Kashmir

Hair-Trigger Nuclear Alert Over Kashmir

Kashmir, the world’s longest-running major dispute, continues, threatening a terrible nuclear conflict. Making matters worse, both India and Pakistan’s nuclear forces are on a hair-trigger alert, with a warning time of only minutes. This is a region where electronics often become scrambled. A false alert or a flock of birds could trigger a massive nuclear war in South Asia.

Hiroshima Marks the 74th Anniversary

Hiroshima-Nagasaki 74 Years Later

Seventy-four years have passed since the atomic bombing of peaceful Japanese cities, and humanity’s horror at the nightmare of this weapon remains acute. That horror is now one of the reasons why no country in the world can employ nuclear weapons against anyone without being punished. In that sense, the victims of Hiroshima did not suffer in vain.

End of INF treaty

Cheering A New Arms Race: The End Of The INF

There is bound to be an initial boost in expenditure and testing on weapons that would have otherwise been banned by the INF.  A mini-arms race is in the offing: to each its degree of deserving lunacy.  There will also be, if the views of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg are anything to go by, an increased emphasis on improving missile defences.