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Published online 9 January 2008 | Nature 451, 114-115 (2008) | doi:10.1038/451114a
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Nuclear war: the threat that never went away
In the first of a series of articles covering nuclear issues, Declan Butler looks at the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and finds that there has never been a better climate for negotiation.
“What gets my juices flowing is my conviction that a terrorist will explode a nuclear bomb in one of our US cities by 2014. And the truth is that this is a preventable catastrophe.
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The political will to nuclear aboltion has never once been an option for neither countries of Great Britian, France or least of which, the United States, who continue not only to harbour nuclear weapons but upgrade them as well in this century. What have we learned about the nuclear weapon and those who continue to hide behind them as a source of power or security in the last 60 years ? The hunter has become the hunted. NPT cheats are nothing new, in fact, they have become downright boring with all their sabre rattling, continued posssesion and talk of sollutions which they have none.The Soviet Union and the United States harbour 95% of the nuclear weapons and only one country has used them on the human race. Twice. The steps to getting rid of nuclear weapons starts there with those two and it does not curtail 13 steps. On the contrary. It begins with one small step for man.
FYI Marc, the Soviet Union dissolved in late 1991...Also, I suggest you get a dictionary and look up the difference between "to curtail" and "to contain".
Once the power of these devices was revealed to the world at large they became ultimately threats and bluffs. The US popped a couple on their enemy of the time Japan as payback for Pearl and to celebrate their victory. Hopefully we can reach a greater maturities and will continue to evolve. Are we fighting or are we peaceful? For those who would like to pop a nuke I'd guess your frustrations would be diminished when everyone else is worse off than you are.
They will never get rid of their nuclear weapons until they have developed something even worse.
Marc, the Soviet Union dissolved in late 1991...Also, I suggest you get a dictionary and look up the difference between "to curtail" and "to contain". Yes, I do realize the CCCP dissolved in the 90's. I also realize to this day that the US government treats them as the ól enemy in order to justify their glutony of nuclear arsenal. How else could they not ? The American people live in fear and the government is more than obildged to serve it up on a platter. I said my 'peace'about the article and all you did was reply to my errors, one of which only one truly was. Have you anything at all to write about the article ? FYI Indeed.