The Deterrent
Since the end of the Cold War the supporters of nuclear weapons have said that the threat of these weapons is a deterrent to any nation that might consider an attack on the U.S. or its ‘interests.’ They also claim that this deterrent serves as an umbrella that protects our allies from attack.

This deterrent only works when the attacker is a nation. Even then one might question whether it is either wise or effective to incinerate hundreds of thousands of people because their government has done something we don’t like. If the attack comes from a small group of extremists who believe that they are serving God, they will not be deterred by our bombs. This was the case with the 9-11  attack on the World Trade Center. Experts regard such a terrorist attack as the most likely threat to the U.S. 

Supporters of nuclear weapons say that our weapons act as an umbrella that makes it possible for our allies to do without them. However, our closest allies, Britain and Israel, have not been deterred from getting their own nuclear weapons. As for our ‘interests,’ the global economy and the search for new resources and markets create conflicts, but our nuclear weapons have not prevented other nations from competing very effectively for these resources. 

As more nations build nuclear reactors, the technology and materials for making nuclear weapons are becoming more available and more nations will be able to develop their own. We cannot to continue to say that other should not have these weapons while we retain and enhance our own. This hypocricy encourages proliferation.

The International Monitoring System is now more than 75% completed. These interconnected seismographic and other sensors can detect and locate a  nuclear test explosion anywhere in the world. This makes it very difficult to develop new or improved weapons without the whole world knowing.. 

It is good to remember that most of the world’s nations neither possess nor desire nuclear weapons. In fact, growing numbers belong to weapons-free zones. We must join them as quickly and safely as possible. Our large conventional military establishment provides outstanding security. That security will be enhanced as we negotiate reductions of our nuclear weapons and work for their abolition worldwide.