Over 20 years ago the Iron Curtain fell, the Soviet Union dissolved and the world breathed a sigh of relief knowing the Cold War was over. Believing that nuclear war would not likely begin at a moment’s notice, people felt safer and more secure. But now, the threats of new countries building nuclear weapons, nuclear terrorism and insecure nuclear stockpiles have made it strikingly clear that the dangers of nuclear weapons remain, 67 years after the advent of the atomic bomb.
Following up on my last post on the Chicago Council’s recent survey on US public attitudes on foreign policy, it is worthwhile to underscore the American public’s continued concern about nuclear weapons. Although the percentage of people worried about this issue is significantly down from the height of the Cold War or even 10 years ago, 63% of respondents still said that Iran’s nuclear program and other “unfriendly countries potentially obtaining the bomb” critically threaten the vital interests of the United States. 72% believe preventing the spread of nuclear weapons is an important foreign policy goal. Therefore it seems the focus on nuclear weapons is not merely a Cold War-era phenomenon. Rather it suggests that these weapons will remain in the forefront of the American psyche until they are eradicated, or at least safely secured in the hands of countries deemed reliable.
This trend could belie a more stringent truth – nuclear weapons today are frightening because they present a much more complex problem than they have in the past. While the idea of a deliberate nuclear exchange between the United States and Russia is almost impossible to fathom, the risk of accidental or miscalculated nuclear use has not completely disappeared. Meanwhile the dangerous nuclear arms race in South Asia raises legitimate concerns about the possibility of nuclear use by Pakistan or India. In addition, non-state actors are now entering the playing field. Nuclear attacks via a proxy group are no longer considered outlandish. Nuclear material can be stolen and used by transnational terrorist groups even from nuclear veterans such as the United States.
In the Chicago Council report millenials (ages 18 to 29) made up only 22% of respondents. While the survey does not shed light on whether our generation is as concerned about the nuclear threat as other generations, there is evidence to show that young people are taking these issues very seriously.
This past March, Yale University hosted a Global Zero Youth Summit that brought over 300 students from all around the world to discuss and analyze the problems with nuclear weapons in our world today. Global Zero is an international organization focused on ridding the world of nuclear weapons. Ben Ratkiewiscz recently founded a Global Zero chapter at Catholic University of America. “Catholic University of America has the chance to contribute a unique moral take on the issue, and I couldn’t pass up such an opportunity,” says Ratkiewiscz. He goes on to discuss the fact that when students are pressed to actually think about nuclear weapons issues, they “realize how much is at stake, and as a result, feel the need to become involved.”
It is encouraging that the very real dangers of nuclear weapons are not lost on the American people, including the next generation.
