Who Has What: Carlton Church International Lookback on Nuclear Regime

The world has been shattered when the United States unleashed its nuclear weapons a little more than 70 years ago directed towards Nagasaki and Hiroshima on August, 1945 in Japan. Many were devastated and afraid of the possibility of countries using it against each other. The havoc and damage it brought to Japan which until now is being felt not only on the towns involved but is also etched even on the major cities of Tokyo and Yokohama. Yet, a lot more have been awed on the power it can give to those who possess it. Soon enough, the secrets and technology in making nuclear weapons soon spread.

Four years after the United States released its missiles aimed towards hundreds of civilians in Japan, the Soviet Union conducted its first nuclear text explosion. The United Kingdom (1952), France (1960), and China (1964) followed. Seeking to prevent the nuclear weapon ranks from expanding further, the United States and other like-minded states negotiated the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968 and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996.

NPT was supported by a lot of states and a lot have sought a more peaceful negotiation with countries they have conflict with. But not all have been showed their amusement. In fact, a lot of countries complain against the United States, stating that they are selfish for preventing other nations to launch their own nuclear weapons just because they have already used theirs.

India, Israel and Pakistan have never signed the treaty and still possess their nuclear arsenals. Iraq was even able to initiate nuclear program under former ruler Saddam Hussein and inspired other members of the Persian Gulf.

North Korea, on the other hand, was first a member of NPT but withdrew on January 2003. Just recently, on the 70th anniversary of Workers Party in the country was held, nuclear missiles were paraded in Pyongyang’s square, stating that they are to launch it if the United States and other hostile countries continue to mock their supreme leader, Kim Jong-Un.

According to further reviews, Iran and Libya have pursued secret nuclear activities in violation of the treaty’s terms, and Syria is suspected of doing the same. Still, nuclear nonproliferation successes outnumber failures and dire forecasts decades ago that the world would be home to dozens of states armed with nuclear weapons have not come to pass.

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