The signing of a landmark agreement by Russia and the United States to reduce the number of nuclear weapons is undoubtedly a major step toward saving the world from the nightmare of a massive nuclear conflagration.
According to the agreement, the nuclear arsenal of the US and Russia will be cut by two-thirds. While the US destroys 2,200 warheads, Russia will destroy 1,700.
There is some imbalance in the number of weapons to be eliminated between the two. Even after eliminating a greater number of weapons than Russia, the US will still have more weapons of massive destruction than its former rival. This is because both the parties decided to keep the number of weapons which each feels are needed to guarantee security. America decided last November that it needed between 1,800 and 2,250 nuclear warheads while Russia planned to keep 1,500.
The world received the decision of the two major nuclear powers with a sigh of relief because the decision assured a safer future for the younger generation. Still the fear about the nuclear weapons in the hands of other countries with nuclear weapons and capability persists.
The US stand toward countries with nuclear weapons is not consistent. While Israel is encouraged to carry on with its clandestine nuclear programs, North Korea, Iran and Iraq are labeled an axis of evil because they have been trying to acquire nuclear weapons. The US is not worried about the nuclear arsenals of France and Britain. On other hand, it watches China’s nuclear schemes with great concern.
The US also applies an apparent double standard to the nuclear arms race in the Indian subcontinent. While it does not object to Indian nuclear bombs, which might be directed against China as well, its strives to reduce Pakistani nuclear activities probably because Pakistan is a Muslim country.
While defending Israel’s right to acquire any number of nuclear weapons, the US does not allow any other country in the Middle East to have such weapons. Americans obviously want to strengthen Israel to strike against Pakistan or Russia if required. It is widely believed that there are between 100 and 200 nuclear warheads in Israel.
The unreasonable American stand on nuclear weapons in other countries intensifies the arms race for both conventional and nuclear weapons in the Middle East and elsewhere.
There are several other factors that aggravate the nuclear threat at an international level. First, the five advanced countries with nuclear weapons are not willing to reduce their nuclear potentials. Only eliminating all the nuclear warheads can avert a nuclear conflagration. Just reducing their number will not save the world. Comprehensive peace in the world is impossible as long as one party in any region possesses nuclear weapons and others do not.
Therefore, the most important obstacle to achieving total peace in the Middle East is undoubtedly Israel’s refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The international community is looking forward to the day when the five advanced countries with nuclear capability will show their willingness to get rid of their weapons. Relentless efforts should also continue to force all countries, which own any type of weapons of mass destruction, to destroy their deadly possessions.
