I know I’m going out on a limb on this, and the risk of being called a far right wing loon is very high, but every time I hear a politician talk about ridding the world of nuclear weapons I role my eyes and tune out. Nukes have been getting a bad rap since the Cold War, and I believe unjustly so. The fear tactics induced on the population about these terrible weapons have led people to believe that as long as any one nation has nuclear weapons then a nuclear war is inevitable. ITS NOT! Nothing could be farther from the truth in fact. As long as there are a few nations in the world, I.E, China and the US who are enemies and could potently destroy each other, a nuclear war is very unlikely.
This whole conversation got started one day while my brothers and I were sitting down and watching a History Channel documentary (no, we’re not geeks, just different) about the ten biggest threats to the world. Nuclear war was right up there with “global warming”, epidemics, and evil robots (no kidding). To put this in perspective, super volcanoes, moving black holes and John Edwards also made the list (okay, that last one only made my list). I, being the forward thinking controversial person/devils advocate that I am made the seemingly irresponsible statement that nukes were, in fact, good, thus starting off a round of discussion and debate that would last into the night. So what would prompt me to take such a controversial position? What on earth would posses me to say to the whole world that I like nuclear bombs? The answerer; without nukes the chances of there being a World War during the Cold War, and even now in the modern day, would have been extremely likely.
During the cold war both the Soviet Union and the United States were dreadful enemies, but the one thing that kept us at peace was a little something called mutual destruction. If one nation dared to make a move against another, both would be destroyed within a matter of hours. Millions, possibly even billions, on both sides would be killed in the most horrific war imaginable. The human race as it exists would change forever. But the one thing that prevented this holocaust were the nukes themselves. But isn’t this circler thinking? Nukes are good because they prevented nuclear war? What kind of thinking is that? But that is not my point. The point, is what if nukes never existed? What if the weapons our parents were raised to fear were the stuff of bad science fiction? Would the world’s super powers of the Cold War have had sufficient reason to avoid a major conflict with each other? They never did before, why would anything have changed? The Soviet Union had far more troops, tanks, and machinery in Europe then did the Allies, and they proved during the Berlin Airlift, when they blocked off the city from allied convoys traveling over land, that they were willing and able to use that military power. If not for the threat of nuclear retaliation, the doomsday scenario of a third World War- this one fought between the United States and the USSR- could have very well become a reality. WWIII, if it had occurred, would have overshadowed both WWI and WWII in the devastation it could have caused.
This whole conversation got started one day while my brothers and I were sitting down and watching a History Channel documentary (no, we’re not geeks, just different) about the ten biggest threats to the world. Nuclear war was right up there with “global warming”, epidemics, and evil robots (no kidding). To put this in perspective, super volcanoes, moving black holes and John Edwards also made the list (okay, that last one only made my list). I, being the forward thinking controversial person/devils advocate that I am made the seemingly irresponsible statement that nukes were, in fact, good, thus starting off a round of discussion and debate that would last into the night. So what would prompt me to take such a controversial position? What on earth would posses me to say to the whole world that I like nuclear bombs? The answerer; without nukes the chances of there being a World War during the Cold War, and even now in the modern day, would have been extremely likely.
During the cold war both the Soviet Union and the United States were dreadful enemies, but the one thing that kept us at peace was a little something called mutual destruction. If one nation dared to make a move against another, both would be destroyed within a matter of hours. Millions, possibly even billions, on both sides would be killed in the most horrific war imaginable. The human race as it exists would change forever. But the one thing that prevented this holocaust were the nukes themselves. But isn’t this circler thinking? Nukes are good because they prevented nuclear war? What kind of thinking is that? But that is not my point. The point, is what if nukes never existed? What if the weapons our parents were raised to fear were the stuff of bad science fiction? Would the world’s super powers of the Cold War have had sufficient reason to avoid a major conflict with each other? They never did before, why would anything have changed? The Soviet Union had far more troops, tanks, and machinery in Europe then did the Allies, and they proved during the Berlin Airlift, when they blocked off the city from allied convoys traveling over land, that they were willing and able to use that military power. If not for the threat of nuclear retaliation, the doomsday scenario of a third World War- this one fought between the United States and the USSR- could have very well become a reality. WWIII, if it had occurred, would have overshadowed both WWI and WWII in the devastation it could have caused.
Even today nukes help in the prevention of any major global conflict. With Chinas growing economic and military power, due mainly to their enormous population, their strength as a conventional super power is sure to grow over the next decades. If they so chose China could rule the Asian continent with their huge armies and hold sway over the entire world. Because of America’s nuclear arsenal the very idea of China ever making such a move is unthinkable, but if not for these weapons what could we do to stop the invincible Chinese Army? The US Army, as great as it is, would simply be overwhelmed if it were ever to face the tidal wave of Chinese troops.
And so I am glad that our nation continues to maintain a strong nuclear arsenal, and that other nations out there do as well; for as long as there are nuclear powers in this world, a full out World War may never happen again.
And so I am glad that our nation continues to maintain a strong nuclear arsenal, and that other nations out there do as well; for as long as there are nuclear powers in this world, a full out World War may never happen again.
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