“The world has failed to put the nuclear genie back in the bottle,” “And new genies are now getting loose.” Dr. Gubrud.

Twenty first century has thrown some multidimensional challenges before humanity that have to be met successfully and just can’t be wished away. Besides Islamic State called ISIS, ISIL or Daesh, it is the worsening climate change followed by an ongoing race to make more devastating nuclear weapons that has caused an anxiety all around.

Although Islamic State’s dance of death has been highlighted enough by media both online and print and even the issue of global warming has come under scrutiny of scientists and the United Nations, yet some countries’ bid to swell their existing arms stashes with more horrible nuclear weapons failed to get the required notice.

The United States, Russia and China are the key players in the game to invent nuclear weapons that are faster, exact and deadlier than they have had before. It is in fact a Cold War days’ drama being re-enacted by economically declining Russia, a rising China and an uncertain United States to establish their hegemony under changed political and economic scenario in the world. Before discussing little about the new nuclear death tools, let us look at the justification being advanced by these countries for doing something that one day could push human race towards an all embracing bloodbath.

It’s a Blame Game

Americans largely blame the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin for triggering the race because his actions, as per US, have blocked efforts to build on a 2010 arms control treaty to further shrink the arsenals of the two largest nuclear powers. Some blame the Chinese, who are looking for a technological edge to keep the United States at bay. And some blame the United States itself for launching its nuclear “modernization” program in the name of improving safety and reliability, that has added fuel to the fire.

President Obama who more than seven years ago, entered White House talking about ridding the world of nuclear weapons, has recently expressed his disappointment over intensification of the nuclear arm race in his address to the Nuclear Security Summit held recently in Washington. He warned about, “ramping up new, deadly and more effective systems that end up leading to a whole new escalation of the arms race.”

He rightly said so because his own country, Russia and China are now aggressively chasing for new generation of  weapons deadlier than known already. This course of action on their part has revived a Cold War-era arms race which would put programs like alleviation of poverty, fight against global warming and world peace on backseat!

Role of Big Three

Many experts are of the opinion that it is the US that has triggered the new race of nuclear weapons that would generate deadlier non nuclear ones along. As per New York Times, “The American version (of some new weapon) would be nonnuclear: The goal is to have a weapon so fast and precise that it relies on the raw force of impact to destroy a fixed target, such as a missile silo. That means weapon could hit and destroy enemy targets without releasing radioactive rays. But it is apprehended that those adversaries who can’t match US technology would be provoked to double their drive for nuclear arms.

In order to forestall a possible attack by distant China that is believed to be close to develop a hypersonic warhead, the US administration is trying to secure a similar war tool ahead of Beijing. The American version as claimed, would be nonnuclear.

As per Russian news reports, Russia is busy in developing a horrible drone the like of which world hasn’t heard or seen before. Russian Navy, according to this report, is assembling an undersea drone meant to throw out a cloud of radioactive contamination from an underwater explosion that would make target cities uninhabitable. It is thought that Russia might violate the global test ban treaty 1966 while trying to test potentials of its new weapons.

But on top of all is the expenditure of $1 trillion that the United States has allocated for its nuclear revitalization program over three decades. That eventually would push rivals to work for their own sophisticated weaponry. An unprecedented Nuclear Arms Race in the world after Cold War has been triggered!

In South Asia

Scenario back home over nuclear arm race isn’t less dangerous. Out of China, India and Pakistan the three main countries of the region, the first two are world’s most populous nations and all of them are Nuclear Powers. They share borders and have long history of border disputes. India in the past had fought Wars both with China and Pakistan over territorial disputes and occasional border skirmishes continue to take place there every now and then. UN has called it the most war prone region in the world.

If Indian media’s recent reports about Pak’s erecting short range nuclear missiles launchers on its side are to be believed, then the site is only100 km far from Indian cities of Amritsar and Jammu. It is a new scary development for people on both sides of border. Because in case even if a “low yield” nuclear weapon was to be employed by Pak to forestall an Indian Army’s onslaught, its detonation would also impact Pakistani territory close to international border.

India too is known to have its stock pile of nuclear weapons and such happenings could exacerbate arm race already going on in South Asia. The region need more investment to fight hunger, poverty and for better education and health care than on creating more and more instruments of death and destruction.

In the end

Recent studies have shown that even a very limited nuclear war involving less than 0.5 percent of the world’s nuclear arsenals, besides immense loss of life and property would cause catastrophic climate disruption worldwide which would cause a famine putting up at least two billion people on earth at risk.

Evidently Nuclear weapons pose an existential threat to humanity; we will be free of this threat only when we eliminate them, not modernize them and not reduce them, but totally eliminate them.

A race to Mars and other Heavenly Bodies by powerful nations to find new landscapes for human growth and development is welcome but not the Nuclear Arm Race that would lead to destruction of man by man on our planet.