As Russia again raises spectre of nuclear war, world leaders must renew their deterrence vow
- Nearly 80 years after the Hiroshima atomic bombing, the global nuclear taboo seems to be fraying amid Russian and North Korean threats, and US alliance complications
- The coming G20 summit would be an appropriate forum for world leaders to reiterate their commitment to nuclear restraint and a return to deterrence
On July 30, Russian Security Council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev, formerly Russia’s president, said Russia would be forced to use nuclear weapons if Ukraine’s counter-attack succeeded.
“Imagine if the … offensive, which is backed by Nato, was a success and they tore off a part of our land then we would be forced to use a nuclear weapon according to the rules of a decree from the president of Russia,” he said. “There would simply be no other option. So our enemies should pray for our warriors’ [success]. They are making sure that a global nuclear fire is not ignited.”
This is a transgression of the tenet of “pristine deterrence” – that nuclear weapons have only one mission, which is to deter the use of similar capabilities by an adversary. For the major powers which have collectively resolved to maintain the sanctity of this covenant, this is the core mission of nuclear weapons.
Russia’s latest stance has diluted this resolve; other developments specific to the US-led Western alliance have muddied the waters as well.
It is worth remembering that the Korean peninsula is still in a state of suspended war – July 1953 marked only the signing of an armistice agreement and not an end to the war. Since then, the two sides of the peninsula have witnessed the ranging of two superpower blocs against each other, with the US and its allies supporting Seoul while communist Pyongyang has received support from Moscow and Beijing.
The US used its nuclear weapons monopoly in 1953 to force China to come to the negotiating table over the Korean war. Today, the nuclear shadow looms ominously again.
In response to Russia’s latest nuclear growl, the global community has conveyed its disapproval in different ways. The more effective voices that Putin has acknowledged are from China and India – and both have urged restraint.
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Global political leaders must be encouraged to renew the pledge to strengthen the nuclear taboo symbolised by the enormity of Hiroshima – succinctly captured in the Oppenheimer film.
Uday Bhaskar is director of the Society for Policy Studies (SPS), an independent think tank based in New Delhi