Trump’s recent order to the Pentagon to resume nuclear testing could lead to a new nuclear arms race and threaten the global environment.
Abbas Hashemite
A New Chilling Shadow over the Globe
Although such a statement is mostly perceived as a political theatric, it holds staggering consequences for humanity. This recent statement of the US President signals the start of a new global nuclear arms race, one that could spiral beyond control. For decades, the world had held a delicate yet indispensable unanimous assent against nuclear testing. Agreements like the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), although ratified by only some countries, signaled a global moral comprehension that nuclear weapons could exist but must not be used or tested ever again. However, the recent directive of President Trump to his military establishment about the resumption of nuclear testing has shattered this global consensus.
President Trump’s reckless directive threatens not only global peace but also humanitarian survival on the planet Earth
The Geopolitical Domino Effect
Many defense analysts believe that the rationale behind this directive is to ensure the United States’ nuclear readiness due to escalating tensions in the Middle East, the Pacific, and Eastern Europe. The persistent Sino-US rivalry in the South China Sea, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and Iran’s resistance to Western pressure and its continuous threat to US and Israeli ambitions in the Middle East have raised strategic concerns for the United States. Nevertheless, these threats to the US hegemony do not permit it to reignite a nuclear arms race around the world. The United States’ resumption of nuclear testing would also lead to expedited Iranian efforts to gain nuclear power.
The Western global strategic offensive has created instability and chaos around the world. The West-backed Ukrainian forces, increasing economic sanctions, and NATO’s eastward expansion over the last two decades have increased security threats for Russia. The growing encirclement of Russia by the West poses an existential threat to the country. Amidst this persistent threat, Moscow is left with only one choice, and that is to modernize and reactivate its tactical and strategic weapons to ensure its security and sovereignty. President Putin has repeatedly raised his concerns over the increasing militarization of the Eastern European region by the West. Recognizing this ever-expanding united Western threat to Russia’s regional influence and hegemony, President Putin has signaled his country’s preparedness to counter any united threat or offensive by NATO and the West.
Another strategic consequence of this directive is that once the United States resumes nuclear testing, all of its rival states will follow. Moscow and Beijing would never allow Washington to hold this leverage exclusively. Once China follows, India will also resume its nuclear testing due to its historic rivalry with Beijing over a territorial dispute. This will cause a domino effect, as after India’s resumption of nuclear testing, Pakistan will also follow under the pretext of creating a regional balance of power. Even the two undeclared nuclear powers, North Korea and Israel, will also join the race. In addition, this new nuclear arms race will also embolden Iran to increase its efforts to gain nuclear power. Consequently, this US resumption of nuclear arms testing would dismantle decades of nuclear non-proliferation progress by igniting an unstoppable domino effect.
Environmental Fallout and Humanitarian Peril
A potential US resumption of nuclear testing would also have profound environmental implications. The Pentagon would likely test nuclear weapons in offshore facilities or at previously dormant sites in the US deserts. Every nuclear test, no matter how controlled and contained it is, holds detrimental environmental consequences. It destabilizes native geology and makes irreversible changes in ecosystems by releasing radiation. Even underground nuclear testing holds appalling implications. It can contaminate aquifers and fracture underground rock layers. Similarly, atmospheric testing is also equally detrimental to the environment. It spreads poisons across continents due to the emission of radioactive isotopes, such as cesium-137 and strontium-90, in the atmosphere, which persist in the environment for decades.
For decades, scientists have been warning against climate change. People around the world have been facing severe droughts, changes in seasonal patterns, and extreme weather due to climate change. Many conferences have been convened in the past few years over the issue. The world has been trying for years to reduce its carbon footprint by curbing carbon emissions. In such an environment, the idea of resuming nuclear testing jeopardizes all the efforts made to curb carbon emissions over the years. Therefore, it would be apt to say that President Trump’s reckless directive threatens not only global peace but also humanitarian survival on the planet Earth. It is high time for the international community to take a united stance against President Trump’s insane directives and policies to ensure humanitarian existence and survival.
Аbbas Hashemite is a political observer and research analyst for regional and global geopolitical issues. He is currently working as an independent researcher and journalist
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