Member-only story
How Russia’s War Is Damaging Nonproliferation Efforts Everywhere
A glimpse at a non-nuclear future
Nuclear nonproliferation is a goal that millions of people around the world long for. Ever since the nuclear weapon was invented and deployed in 1945, it has been a controversial issue. Many people believe in their heart of hearts that humanity would be better off without nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, Russia is doing irreparable harm to those who long for a future free of nuclear weapons. On the one hand, that is not surprising. Russia has long held the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons. On the other hand, it doesn’t seem like they know that their war is going to harm nonproliferation efforts for years to come.
Ukraine once had nuclear weapons of its own. It inherited part of the Soviet Union’s nuclear stockpile after its collapse in 1991. But they were convinced to give up their nukes. A combination of cost factors, the threat of sanctions, and internal unrest led the Ukrainians to give up their nuclear arsenal. Today, Ukraine is the only nation in history to give up all of its functional nuclear weapons willingly.
In return, Ukraine received (worthless) assurances that its territorial integrity would be respected by nearby nuclear states, chief among them being Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom…
