Why Nuclear Weapons are Essential

Out of all the dangerous powers and authority our government wields, possibly the most threatening powers are nuclear weapons. People tend to be frightened by things they do not understand, which make nuclear weapons a perfect catalyst for fear. These weapons have the most overwhelming and destructive power known to man; although, nuclear weapons are only safe in countries that try to maintain harmony and stability. Nuclear weapons are defined as “explosive devices whose destructive potential derives from the release of energy that accompanies the splitting or combining of atomic nuclei.” This power is both dangerous and unstable in the hands of small erratic countries.

At this time treaties and laws between the United States and other countries exist in order to prevent a nuclear war. The Limited Test Ban treaty, otherwise known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty, was first signed in 1963 by the U.S.S.R, United Kingdom and the United States. The treaty prohibits testing of Nuclear Weapons in the atmosphere, space, or even underwater. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, adopted in 1996, “bans all nuclear explosions in environments for military or civilian purposes.” Since 2007 only three-fourths of the countries with nuclear reactors or generators have acknowledged the treaty. The treaty will not come into effect until every country with a nuclear generator approves it. Although Barrack Obama has promised in his presidential campaign that the United States would approve the treaty as soon as possible, The United States has yet to ratify the treaty. Although several of these bans have been put in place, these weapons are obtained by various countries illegally through secret sources such as the Black Market. Nuclear terrorism ...

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... both themselves and the nation or nations victimized. Radical governments are far less likely to suffer the consequences of their actions, simply because of the cowardly nature of the leaders. The citizens of these countries would be the ones to pay the price for the horrendous actions of their leaders. The danger involved in widespread knowledge of production of nuclear weapons is the likelihood of attack by extremists who would use this knowledge for selfish and ambitious purposes rather than for the common good.

Works Cited

DeGroot, Gerard J. "The Bomb: A Life." Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2005.

Rhodes, Richard. "The Making of the Atomic Bomb." New York: Simon and Schuster, 1986.

Steeves, Lynne; Moreno-Riano, Gerson. Points of View: Nuclear Proliferation, 2009

Aliprandini, Michael; Goodwin, Chuck. Points of View: Nuclear Proliferation, 2009