Research: The Nuclear World Today
Nowadays, nuclear weapons are rarely front page newsŮٱƵan honor more often bestowed to domestic and international political developments, environmental issues, and ever-rapid technological advancement. Yet, as demonstrated through the research of recent Dyson graduate Nathanael Linton ŮٱƵ19 with assistance from Dyson Assistant Professor Jared Manasek, PhD, the threat of nuclear activity is arguably greater than it has ever been. LintonŮٱƵs paperŮٱƵNow or Never: The Anti-nuclear Movement in the Nuclear WorldŮٱƵexamines the changes in nuclear arsenal building since the end of the Cold War amidst a changing global landscape, alongside the rise of conflicting disarmament and arms-building philosophies.
ŮٱƵItŮٱƵs really surprising how close things are, when you really look at it, to nuclear warfare possibly happening. If you read the 2018 , it literally explains why the United States is once again building their nuclear weapons arsenal,ŮٱƵ says Linton. ŮٱƵIn my research, I was investigating some of the answers as to why this was happening.ŮٱƵ
From a public perception standpoint, the threat of nuclear war was much more prevalent during the Cold War. As Linton notes, the media was much more ŮٱƵin your face about it,ŮٱƵ largely because the USSR and the United States often practiced strategies of brinkmanship, escalating potentially dangerous events such as the 1961 Cuban Missile Crisis to the brink of active conflict. Today however, because there is no one obvious threatŮٱƵbut rather an array nations and entities with diverging interests and incentivesŮٱƵLinton argues that the situation today is considerably less stable.
This opinion is shared by the , who have labeled the current situation as ŮٱƵtwo minutes to midnight,ŮٱƵ a designation that has only been matched on one occasion, during the height of the Cold War in 1953.
ŮٱƵDuring the Cold War, due to the conflicts between the US and the USSR, civilians had more of an understanding about the threat of nuclear weapons,ŮٱƵ says Linton. ŮٱƵI donŮٱƵt think the feeling toward nuclear war is as strong as during the Cold War due to the fact that thereŮٱƵs not rival powers, but instead multiple global events, and you have to piece all those global events together to understand it might be more dangerous."
ŮٱƵOne of the interesting things about NathanaelŮٱƵs work is heŮٱƵs really gone at this question of ŮٱƵhow did it change?ŮٱƵŮٱƵ says Manasek. ŮٱƵI was young in the 1980s and I remember being absolutely terrified that the Soviet Union was going to nuke us. Then the Cold War ends and it seems to stop being an issue, but then it turns out to be a different, and possibly more dangerous issue.ŮٱƵ
While delving further and further into his research, Linton also got the chance to speak to PaceŮٱƵs Matthew Bolton, PhD, Director of PaceŮٱƵs Disarmament Institute and world-renowned leader in the nuclear disarmament movement. Bolton and Dyson Assistant Professor Emily Welty, PhD, are heavily involved in the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 for their tireless advocacy and commitment to taking actionable steps to abolish nuclear weapons worldwide.
Given the scope of his research, Linton was very interested in BoltonŮٱƵs thoughts on disarmament as it pertains to the ŮٱƵBig FiveŮٱƵŮٱƵthe five countries (The United States, Russia, China, the UK, and France) that are permanent members on the United Nations Security Council. While there has been huge progress on the disarmament front thanks to groups like ICAN, the task for total disarmament remains an extremely daunting one, and would require an extreme mentality shift amongst the global superpowers.
ŮٱƵItŮٱƵs a mentality of what the bomb represents that has to change. If the big five countries are not willing to change their mentalityŮٱƵand take away the value that the bomb hasŮٱƵif theyŮٱƵre willing to do that, then nuclear disarmament can happen in the future. But as of right now, government structures are still maintaining the value that the bomb represents, and trying to make it matter even more,ŮٱƵ says Linton.
Linton hopes to continue working on this ever-evolving research as he embarks on his postgraduate career, and eventually law school. Perhaps a few years down the road, with a law degree under his belt, he will be able to draw upon his research to help spur impactful and lasting action.
ŮٱƵStudents and individuals should be aware of whatŮٱƵs going on. ItŮٱƵs up to us to piece and string together the different events, the bigger picture, and look at the reigning mentalities of certain nations,ŮٱƵ says Linton. ŮٱƵHopefully, research like this could help add to the already growing awareness to nuclear weapons and disarmament.ŮٱƵ