Nuclear weapons: a geopolitical threat?

In my earlier posts, I have talked about the risks posed by nuclear energy which is primarily used for generating electricity. However, we must turn our attention towards nuclear weapons which are becoming a more prominent geopolitical threat for our global society. In a normal nuclear reactor, the chain reaction (splitting of the uranium atom) is controlled and moderated (see my second blog post for more information) however in a nuclear bomb the chain reaction is uncontrolled. We have all probably heard of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 by American forces which led to the death of around 200,000 innocent people. Ever since then, nuclear proliferation has increased rapidly and many nuclear powers around the world have increased their nuclear arsenal. A yearly study by Norris and Kristensen (2009) has reported that Russia and the United States possess 96% of the world's global nuclear inventory. Apart from that, other countries have also developed their own nuclear weapons as I will explain below.

Worldwide proliferation of nuclear weapons

Nine countries are reported to possess nuclear weapons globally, however Israel has not acknowledged the existence of it's program.

Countries with nuclear weapons worldwide 

This worldwide proliferation of nuclear weapons for military purposes is not the only thing which we should be concerned about. The second aspect is to look at the number of nuclear warheads that each country possesses: 

Nuclear warhead inventory (by country)

Essentially, nuclear warheads are weapons that can be fitted into missiles and rockets for the purpose of attacking. Technological advancements have meant that warheads are becoming more minituarised and sophisticated (O'Nions 2002) meaning that they can be fitted onto smaller devices.  The danger which arises is the fact that many countries such as North Korea (which I will talk about next week) are developing the ability to produce miniaturised weapons that are used to attack neighbouring countries. The threat to neighbouring countries can also be seen through the Pakistan-India example. In order to confront the threat posed by arch-rivals India, Pakistan is developing it's short-range nuclear arsenal and is expected to have around 250 warheads by the end of 2025 (Kristensen and Norris 2015). And in many cases this nuclear arsenal can go into the hands of non state actors....

Terrorist access to to nuclear weapons

It seems like the stuff out of a Marvel superhero movie - but the threat is real. Barack Obama, speaking at an International Security Summit in April 2016 has warned that ISIS and other terrorist organisations might be able to acquire nuclear weapons. Whilst some of you may dismiss this threat as simple fear-mongering, I would disagree completely. Many of the world's nuclear installations are located in 'global trouble spots' according to Hynes et al. (2006) and this means that the chance of rogue employees working in the nuclear selling nuclear equipment in the black market remains highly probable. Compounding this problem is the fact that many countries such as Israel, India and Pakistan have not signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and this means that any high-ranking official within these countries could export nuclear expertise or equipment to anyone. The possibilities in my opinion are endless. An ISIS magazine in 2015 claimed that it was close to buying a nuclear weapon from Pakistan through it's links with the Pakistan military establishment - have a look at this news story from the Indian channel 'Indian Today':