Oh boy, where to even start? So, like, eighty years have zipped by since the US dropped those big bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It’s a hefty bit of history, right? And somehow, nuclear war is back on the radar, like, in the worst way possible. Some big brains over at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute are waving red flags, saying disarmament is pretty much dead and buried. Kinda sucks, but there it is.
So get this, nine countries are holding enough nuclear juice to light up 145,000 Hiroshimas. And Israel? They’re on Iran’s case, putting them on blast to stop them from joining the nuke club. Bit of a double standard, considering Israel’s own hush-hush arsenal, right? Tehran’s got the pieces to go nuclear if they want, but supposedly they’re holding off. Takes about three years to get everything up and running if they decide to go for it. Meanwhile, Israel’s acting all defensive, even jumping the gun before diplomacy can wrap things up.
Bibi Netanyahu’s got this wild idea that he can drag Trump into the whole mess, trying to get him to jump on the war wagon. Trump’s all over the map with his comments, which makes folks on both sides a little nervous. Like, will he, won’t he? Hard to say, but there’s always that thought he might hope to strong-arm Iran into some kind of agreement.
On the global stage, though, the bigger beast is nuclear spread gone wild. The last standing US-Russian treaty, New Start, is almost toast. Without it, it’s a free-for-all with nukes again. China’s playing catch-up, cranking out about 100 warheads a year. Even the UK’s throwing £15bn at new nukes. North Korea? Looks like they’re setting up shop for more enrichment. It’s like the Wild West, and everyone’s armed to the teeth. South Korea’s thinking they might want their own, not so sure about US promises anymore.
And here’s the kicker: The more we blend nukes with conventional weapons, the more we might take one wrong step. Like, Russia’s been throwing around nuclear threats in Ukraine. Are they bluffing? That’s anyone’s guess. Over in South Asia, India fired off those Brahmos missiles at Pakistan — a whole new ballgame there.
Remember when the US waltzed into Iraq in 2003? Kinda made everyone think it’s better to hold onto those destructive toys if you can. Iran got the memo, especially after trying to play nice for some relief. If things go south for them, they’re probably gonna speed up for a bomb. Saudi Arabia and others will want in on the action too.
Arab and Muslim states are none too pleased with Israel’s antics, pushing for everyone to disarm. Seems more like wishful thinking now, but boy, wouldn’t it be nice to step out of this nuclear race where basically, nobody wins? Anyway, that’s how it looks from my corner.