Nnproliferation: The Cost of Staying Nuclear

The Cost of Staying Nuclear

by Zachary Keck

Concern over the spread of nuclear weapons to new states often overshadows the issue of existing nuclear arsenals. Even when the latter does receive attention, it is usually devoted entirely to Russian and U.S. nuclear forces, which are estimated to account for 95 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons. A new report by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom’s (WILPF), entitled Assuring Destruction Forever: Nuclear Weapon Modernization around the World,  is notable for bringing together prominent nuclear experts to analyze the stockpiles and future modernization plans of all nine nuclear weapon states – the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. The multi-authored report also devotes three chapters to larger thematic issues like international law and political will. At the outset, the report presents some ominous data. For example, as of March 2012, there were approximately 19,500 nuclear weapons between the nuclear powers. ... Read More...

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