Nuclear Weapons in the Modern World

Power, Politics, and Peril

- 

In a time of escalating global tensions - Russia's protracted war in Ukraine, India's armed exchanges with Pakistan, Israel's conflict in Gaza, and rising hostilities across multiple regions - the world appears to be teetering on the edge of a much-feared precipice: A Nuclear War. As geopolitical divides widen and diplomatic channels weaken, the question no longer seems to be whether nuclear weapons will be used again, but when and where. In this context, it becomes imperative to evaluate how nuclear weapons have shaped the world, how far our arsenals have advanced, and what the devastating consequences of their use would mean for humanity.

A Legacy of Deterrence and Fear

Since the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, nuclear weapons have acted both as deterrents and as looming threats. The Cold War period institutionalized a doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), where both the United States and the Soviet Union maintained enough nuclear firepower to obliterate each other - and the rest of the planet. This stalemate paradoxically maintained peace on a large scale but also held the world hostage to a perpetual existential threat.

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 did little to diminish the nuclear shadow. Instead, it marked a shift toward proliferation concerns, rogue states, and non-state actors gaining access to nuclear materials. The global focus shifted to nuclear treaties like the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), START agreements, and IAEA inspections. Yet, nuclear weapons never ceased to be central to military doctrines.

The Current Nuclear Arsenal: Precision and Power