Newswise — High-tech advances in weapons technologies and a return of ‘great power nuclear politics’, risk the world ‘sleepwalking’ into a nuclear age vastly different from the established order of the Cold War, according to new research undertaken at the University of Leicester.
Andrew Futter, Professor of International Politics at the University of Leicester, makes the warning in a research paper for the Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace (HOPe), published today (Friday).
While stockpiles are much reduced from the peak of up to 70,000 nuclear weapons seen in the 1980s, progress in a number of new or ‘disruptive’ technologies threatens to fundamentally change the central pillars on which nuclear order, stability and risk reduction are based.
Modern nuclear weapons – acknowledged to be held by nine countries including the USA, Russia and UK – are more capable and more precise than their Cold War counterparts, and at the same time, are being augmented by a new suite of strategic non-nuclear weapons that might be used against or instead of nuclear weapons.
Advances in offensive capabilities have, however, been matched in increasingly sophisticated sensing, tracking and processing technologies designed to detect, prevent and in some cases respond to a nuclear strike – often using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Professor Futter said:
“While we’ve seen a substantial reduction in the number of nuclear weapons held across the world, it’s important to remember that this reduction came about as much as a result of rationalisation than a genuine drive to disarm. After all, you can’t destroy a city twice, and it takes an enormous amount of money to build and maintain this technology.
“We’ve seen massive advances in the capabilities of these weapons and their support systems in the 30 years since the end of the Cold War, and there’s a danger that this means the established rulebook of nuclear doctrine could be thrown out of the window.”
However, there are potential political solutions as the world prepares to enter what Professor Futter terms a ‘Third Nuclear Age’. He continued:
“Choosing the correct pathway for our nuclear future was hard enough in the past and there is no suggestion it will become any easier as we move into a new, potentially more complex and dynamic chapter in the nuclear story.
“Policy proposals to manage the challenges of the Third Nuclear Age are therefore inherently bound by whether one believes the best approach is to take our nuclear world as it is and seek to manage it through restraint, arms control, and norms; or whether it is possible to transition to a world where nuclear weapons no longer exist through sustained moral, ethical, legal and perhaps technological pressure.”
‘Deterrence, Disruptive Technology and Disarmament in the Third Nuclear Age’ is published by the Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace.
‘Disruptive Technologies and Nuclear Risks: What’s New and What Matters’, in which Professor Futter further explores the themes of new nuclear capabilities and their impact, is published in the journal Survival.
The Third Nuclear Age research project is funded by the European Research Council. Find out more at thirdnuclearage.com.
Source: University of Leicester
- Ancient Maya cities were dangerously contaminated with mercury
The cities of the ancient Maya in Mesoamerica never fail to impress. But beneath the soil surface, an unexpected danger lurks there: mercury pollution. - World Vision halfway toward goal of reaching 50 million people with clean water by 2030
Accomplishment announced at the Concordia Annual Summit 25 million people have been reached with clean water access NEW YORK /PRNewswire/ — World Vision is celebrating a major milestone in its efforts to help end the global water crisis. In 2015, at the time the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals were established, World Vision committed to reaching… Read more: World Vision halfway toward goal of reaching 50 million people with clean water by 2030 
Methodology For Assessment Of Natural Hazard Vulnerability In US Using Remote SensingINTRODUCTION Coastal zone is defined as “the coastal waters (including the lands therein and thereunder) and the adjacent shorelands (including the waters therein and thereunder), strongly influenced by each other and in proximity to the shorelines of the several coastal states, and includes islands, transitional and intertidal areas, salt marshes, wetlands, and beaches.” Coastal locations… Read more: <br>Methodology For Assessment Of Natural Hazard Vulnerability In US Using Remote Sensing- How COVID-19 Could Help People Relate to Sea Level Rise
Newswise — The COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique opportunity for climate change experts to relate sea level rise to the general public. In her recent paper “Translated Emission Pathways (TEPs): Long-Term Simulations of COVID-19 CO2 Emissions and Thermosteric Sea Level Rise Projections,” published in “Earth’s Future,” Texas Tech University‘s Ting Lin did exactly that. Working with undergraduate McNair… Read more: How COVID-19 Could Help People Relate to Sea Level Rise - Vita Inclinata Expands Vita Rescue System (VRS) Sales to Africa and South America Through United Aero Group (UAG) Partnership
WASHINGTON, July 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Vita Inclinata (Vita), developer and producer of precision aerospace and industrial stabilization devices, today announced a partnership with United Aero Group (UAG), an OEM authorized independent service provider focused on rotary support for both commercial and military customers around the world. The partnership will enable UAG to resell the Vita Rescue System (VRS) to search and rescue/combat… Read more: Vita Inclinata Expands Vita Rescue System (VRS) Sales to Africa and South America Through United Aero Group (UAG) Partnership
