Senior Policy Director John Erath was interviewed by CNN Portugal about nuclear weapons in the Russian war on Ukraine. The original article is in Portuguese.
INTERVIEW || John Erath, policy director at the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, does not believe we are on the verge of a new global nuclear arms race. However, given Donald Trump’s “contradictory” stance, if the US follows through on its threat of nuclear tests, it could lead other countries to “significantly improve their nuclear forces, and in that case, the world will become a more dangerous place.”
The only remaining treaty between the United States and Russia, the New START treaty, which limits the two rivals to a maximum of 1,550 long-range nuclear warheads deployed in delivery systems, is about to expire . Are we facing an imminent new global nuclear arms race?
“Not necessarily. There is no reason yet to build more nuclear weapons. The US and Russia already possess more than enough armaments to deter anyone. The danger lies in the fact that the continued increase in Chinese military power could exert additional psychological pressure on other governments, leading them to follow the same path. The war in Ukraine demonstrated that nuclear weapons have no military utility, unlike advanced conventional weapons, which have proven their effectiveness. In this sense, I foresee a greater emphasis on non-nuclear forces going forward.” Read more
