Nuclear Proliferation

Nuclear Proliferation

History 105 - 21

Katy Fry

December 2, 2012

In April 2012, President Obama delivered a speech in Prague regarding the United States’ new plans to control the most powerful device humans have ever made, nuclear weapons. In the past, “nuclear weapons have had a tremendous influence on the world's agonies and obsessions, inspiring desperate rhetoric, extravagant theorizing, and frenetic diplomatic posturing”, so right before the election, Obama released his plan to ensure the safety of the world. Because nukes are so powerful, and the treaties of the past regarding limitations have not been upheld, he planned for “developing countries would have access to an internationally monitored bank of nuclear fuel” but could not create weapons for themselves. Additionally, “existing warheads would be secured and major powers such as Russia and the United States would pledge to scale back their weapons programs”. Ambitious as this is, all treaties in the past have failed or been only lightly upheld. Historically, time and time again, this issue has brought the world powers together as they plan what to do with the most destructive weapon ever made.

With countries currently at dispute over what should be done regarding nuclear proliferation, this issue has its roots deep into many countries histories, like those involved in World War two, the Cold War, and the first Non-Proliferation treaty. The two countries most involved were the Soviet Union and the United States, the first two to develop the bomb, and also the first two to have a major conflict over this weaponry. This new technology changed the way many countries fight wars, and how they see weaponry, causing many to oppose nuclear weapon development and instead focus on using it as a green technology. But even light of the detrimental effects of nuclear bombs as observed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, many countries still choose to not use nuclear technology as a peaceful, clean energy...