For many scholars and policy makers the reason why states seek nuclear weapons is; State security and survival, the threat from powerful nations can not be treated by diplomatic means when it comes to defending ones territory. Scott Sagan has applied three theoretical models/ frameworks as to why states either develop or resist developing nuclear weapons; Security, Domestic and Norms models.
The Security model; as the title suggests is for state survival and security, because if one nation has nuclear capability then any rival state will do the same to match the destructive power “a state would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it”. When a state has the capability to defend itself, other states will either want an alliance for protection or retaliate on the offensive by collaborating with other states that better cover their interests.
The Domestic model; actors who encourage/discourage governments from obtaining nuclear capabilities, many military organisations and even civilian institutions profit from developing nuclear power, “war is profitable, war can win political votes and war can be a money-making machine”, indeed war can be economically profitable for some nations.
The Norms model; seen as a symbolic function and national identity for superpower nations, they need the best of the best in everything, especially when it comes to defence, enhancing their identity and gaining privilege and prestige. (Sagan 1996-97).
The worlds first nuke exploded in New Mexico on the 16th July 1945, three weeks later on 6th August the US dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, followed the days later on Nagasaki, the result being the slaughter of millions of defenceless civilians and the Japanese surrender ending world war two, but it opened Pandora’s box.
Within the next few years other states began dabbling in nuclear fusion; Soviet Union, Great Britain and France followed shortly after in 1964 by China who entered the “Nukes Club” a little behind. Interestingly one of the only countries in 1955 to ban using nuclear technology for mass destruction was India, President Jawaharlal Nehru saw how destructive it could be. However, in 1974 ‘My Birth year’ India did conduct its first nuclear test underground, but clarified it was not a weapon, however India wanted the world to know if it needed, it had the scientific capability to create a weapon.
On December 12th 1995, the UN decreed an immediate ban on all nuclear testing and was urging for disarmament, so the world could be a nuclear free world. Nuclear weapons both deter and create wars.
Deter; powerful states from annihilating each other by promoting strategic stability ‘using a nuke will not just kill your enemy, but yourself also, suicide’, the MAD concept (Mutually Assured Destruction).
Creates; when one state has the power and another has lesser power, the state with lesser power may use other military means to challenge the other. An example in a way could be equivalent; Israel uses rockets, tanks and air support to bomb Palestine, while the Palestinians use rocks, stones, small arms and human suicide weapons in retaliation, I say this because even though the Palestinians know they have lesser means to defend themselves, they fight knowing that Israel has military supremacy, therefore Israel is the aggressor and is a danger to the world.
Food for thought; Should the United States have been charged with war crimes for Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
Remembering although other states including Russia have created nukes, the United States is the ONLY nation to have used a nuclear bomb in a conflict.
