February 10, 2023
Ukraine Gave Up Nuclear Weapons at Our Behest. Here’s What We Owe Them.
The world is on the cusp of a dangerous new nuclear era, and the war in Ukraine might be a glimpse of what is to come.
Reflecting this, the hands of the iconic Doomsday Clock, an indicator reflecting the opinion of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists as to how close humanity finds itself to self-destruction, were recently moved up 10 seconds — to 90 seconds to midnight. This is the closest they have ever been to Armageddon.
The United States cannot give up on the effort to find ways to negotiate agreements with adversaries such as Russia and China to reduce the danger of nuclear conflict.
But even if the Ukraine war never goes nuclear, any ultimate Russian victory would add to the sense that nuclear weapons are increasingly useful elements of state policy, for both offense and defense.
That said, because Russia retains the ability to escalate to the nuclear level, ensuring Russian defeat is not a simple problem that can be solved by arming Ukraine with every weapons system it requests. To properly appreciate the difficulties, it’s important to understand the nuclear history involved.
Read the full article from The Washington Post.
More from CNAS
-
How America Wages Economic Warfare with Eddie Fishman
Podcast
The last two decades have marked a revolution in economic warfare. As the United States has increasingly sought to weaponize the global economy against its adversaries, the wo...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend & Edward Fishman
-
The Key to Ukraine’s Survival
Commentary
No one country in Europe has the financial and industrial resources to replace the United States, but together they can add up to formidable support to Ukraine....
By Celeste Wallander
-
Will Trump Reshape the American Military
Podcast
Last month, the Trump administration carried out a large-scale firing of senior military leaders, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chief of Naval opera...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Russia’s Wartime Economy: Resilient or on the Edge of Collapse?
Podcast
Since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Russia's economy has proved to be robust despite sanctions, inflation and labour shortages. But how long can it last? Charles Pelleg...
By Richard Connolly
