The Threat of Nuclear Proliferation

"If a nuclear weapon exploded in a major city, the blast center would be hotter than the surface of the sun; tornado-strength winds would spread the flames; and a million or more people could die. Survivors would have no electricity, no transportation, no phones—and hospitals would be overwhelmed ... if they were still standing."

Two countries—the United States and Russia—hold the vast majority of the world's nuclear weapons. The former Cold War foes account for 93 percent of the total global stockpile.

"My bottom line — we are in a race between cooperation and catastrophe. This is a race that mankind must win."


Former Senator Sam Nunn

Command and control systems are not perfect. People make mistakes. Sabotage can happen. Technology has flaws and systems fail. The possibility of an unauthorized launch—or even an authorized launch without time for due consideration—is simply too high.

Nuclear technology and the know-how to build a bomb is no longer a monopoly controlled by states. The threat of cyber-terrorism looms large, and experts are working furiously to keep up with cyber vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers to initiate a catastrophe.

Despite progress... the nuclear threat—once represented by duck-and-cover drills—is more complex and more unpredictable today than ever.

Today, nine countries-China, India, Israel, France, North Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States—hold nearly 16,000 nuclear weapons. That's enough to destroy the planet hundreds of times over.

Source:

• http://www.nti.org/learn/nuclear/