Nuclear weapons more important amid geopolitical tensions, researchers say

Published on: 06/17/2024 – 01:18

2 minutes

Diplomatic efforts to control nuclear weapons have also suffered major setbacks amid strained international relations over conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in its annual annual.

“We have not seen nuclear weapons play such an important role in international relations since the Cold War,” Wilfred Wan, director of SIPRI’s weapons of mass destruction program, said in a statement.

The research institute noted that in February 2023, Russia announced that it was suspending its participation in the 2010 New START treaty, “the last nuclear arms control treaty limiting Russian and US strategic nuclear forces.”

SIPRI also noted that Russia conducted tactical nuclear weapons exercises near the Ukrainian border in May.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stepped up his nuclear rhetoric since the Ukraine conflict began, warning in his address to the nation in February that there was a “real” risk of nuclear war.

Additionally, an informal agreement reached between the United States and Iran in June 2023 was upended after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October, SIPRI said.

“Extremely concerning”

According to SIPRI, the world's nine nuclear-armed states “also continued to modernize their nuclear arsenals and several deployed new nuclear or nuclear-capable weapons systems in 2023.”

The nine countries are the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel.

As of January, of the world's estimated 12,121 nuclear warheads, about 9,585 were in stockpile for potential use, according to SIPRI.

About 2,100 personnel were kept on “high operational alert” for ballistic missiles.

Almost all of these warheads belong to Russia and the United States – which together possess almost 90% of all nuclear weapons – but it was for the first time believed that China had some warheads on high operational alert.

“As the total number of global nuclear warheads continues to decline as Cold War weapons are gradually dismantled, we unfortunately continue to see a year-over-year increase in the number of operational nuclear warheads,” said Dan Smith, Director of SIPRI.

He added that this trend was likely to continue and “probably accelerate” in the coming years, calling it “extremely concerning.”

The researchers also highlighted the “continued deterioration of global security over the past year”, with the impact of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza visible in “nearly every aspect” of arms and security issues. international.

“We are living today in one of the most dangerous periods in human history,” Smith said, urging the world’s major powers to “step back and think. Preferably together.”

(AFP)