Nuclear Weapons: Einstein's Nightmare

In a letter to President Roosevelt on August 2, 1939, Albert Einstein said, "It may become possible to set up a nuclear chain reaction in a large mass of uranium, by which vast amounts of power and large quantities of new radium-like elements would be generated... This new phenomenon would also lead to the construction of bombs, and it is conceivable - though much less certain - that extremely powerful bombs of a new type may thus be constructed." The nuclear bomb was born.

Nuclear weapons are the most dangerous pieces of weaponry in the world. They are becoming more and more hazardous due to those who have access to them. They are beginning to fall into the hands of unstable countries and nations. This is mainly due to uranium and nuclear materials becoming easier to obtain. Along with unstable countries, terrorist groups are gaining nuclear power. These groups can use these weapons to demolish cities or even nations. Nuclear weapons have devastating effects on ecosystems and humanity itself (Babst).

General Lee Butler, former head of U.S. Strategic Command, said on December 4, 1996, "We have yet to fully grasp the monstrous effects of these weapons, that the consequences of their use defy reason, transcending time and space, poisoning the earth and deforming its inhabitants." Nuclear weapons are too dangerous to be used by all countries. Just by nuclear weapons being in existence, people around the world are in fear of war and death. Nuclear weapons have the ability to kill thousands, millions, or even billions of people through immediate impact and nuclear winter.

Nuclear war is always a threat as long as nuclear weapons exist. A nuclear war between India and Pakistan would result in over a billion deaths due to starvation alone (Randall). This shows that along with the destruction caused by the immediate "blast", there are many long-term effects. These include environments and societies destroyed or even a nuclear winter.

Nuclear winter is a theory proposed first by scientist Carl Sagan in a 1983 scientific journal article ("What is Nuclear Winter?"). This is how Sagan theorized nuclear weapons would affect the climate and environment. In a nuclear winter, after the nuclear explosions have subsided, smoke from fires started by the bombs could darken out the sky and ultimately lower the Earth's temperature. This change in temperature would wreak havoc on ecosystems. A nuclear winter would have the same effect as the asteroid at the end of the Cretaceous period some sixty-five million years ago which resulted in the extinction of dinosaurs. This asteroid spewed smoke and dust into the atmosphere similar to smoke from fires started by the weapons ("What is Nuclear Winter?").

Despite the threat of climate chaos, terrorists remain at the front of most peoples' minds when talking about nuclear power. Terrorist groups see nuclear weapons as an easy route to power and respect. Al-Qaida probably has bombs; some may even be in America (Farah). Terrorists gravitate toward nuclear weapons because they are the optimal devices to use against world powers like the United States. The root of the problem is that unstable governments and terrorists are able to obtain these weapons of mass destruction easier than ever.

Recently, countries such as North Korea and Pakistan appear to be thinking about using or obtaining more bombs. Pakistan has nuclear weapons that terrorists or Taliban groups may try to seize in the near future. This shows that even stable countries that seem safe to have nuclear weapons can have nearby terrorists that may try to take them. North Korea has recently admitted to having nuclear weapons and even threatened to use them (Aftergood).

Securing all of the world's weapons of mass destruction in safe areas or even destroying all nuclear bombs may reduce the threat of a nuclear war, but still does not end it. Due to access to materials used in making these bombs becoming easier to obtain along with knowledge on how to make "nukes" leaking into the public, it is becoming easier to make nuclear weapons. The skills and experience needed to create these weapons are being sold for huge profits. Scientists that formerly helped build nuclear bombs for governments have now been selling this knowledge to the highest bidder.

Nuclear weapons are too dangerous to be in the hands of terrorists and unstable governments because the amount of nuclear weapons in the world right now could kill all people on Earth. Along with this, scientists are selling "nuclear knowledge" to rogue groups which is making the situation even worse. Nuclear weapons not only hurt humanity, but also damage the environment for thousands of years. The possibility of a false alarm or computer glitch could result in millions or even billions of people dead.

Several possible solutions to the nuclear problem are available. None of them are easy and all would require years of cooperation along with strict rule following. One solution includes abolishing and dismantling all nuclear weapons. This would lower risks but not completely because of countries that would not comply. Also, people will still be able to produce the bombs. Another solution could be giving the United Nations control.

If the UN had all nuclear weapons or the launch codes then the world would be much safer. This solution would require the use of nuclear weapons being outlawed for all countries. The UN could then use their nuclear weapons against any group, nation, or organization that uses or withholds illegal nuclear bombs. This allows the use of nuclear weapons to be a decision made by an organization with many countries' input. This decision also prevents the possibility of a nuclear war. One problem associated with this would be the United Nations gaining too much power and possibly misusing it.

These solutions would be very difficult to reach, but something has to be done. It is not a question of if there will be a nuclear war, it is when. The consequences of nuclear weapons are too devastating to imagine until seen first hand. Luckily, these weapons have not been used many times throughout history, although the threat is still very alive.

Weapons of mass destruction may look appealing to power seekers, but the reality is they are too powerful for anyone to control. The International Court of Justice stated, on July 8, 1996, "The destructive power of nuclear weapons cannot be contained in either space or time. They have the potential to destroy all civilization and the entire ecosystem of the planet." Any weapon that can kill all of humanity should not be easy to obtain and use. These pieces of machinery could end life on Earth. This is one technology that should have never left the brain of Einstein. By shooting off that first bomb we are committing suicide on behalf of humanity, on behalf of the world, and that is not our right, not our choice or anyone else's to make.

Works Cited

Aftergood, Steven. "Nuclear Weapons Program." 16 011 2006.
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Babst, Dean. "Consequences of Using Nuclear Weapons." Waging Peace. 1997. Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.
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Farah, Joseph. "Al-Qaida nukes already in U.S.." World Net Daily. 11 July 2005.
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Parker, Randall. "India-Pakistan Nuclear War." Future Pundit. 03 010 2007.
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"What is Nuclear Winter?." eSSORTMENT. 2002.
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