1. Summarize the basic argument for and the basic argument against nuclear weapons.
Some people are for having nuclear weapons because it helps preserve the peaces and U.S security. Another reason that people are for nuclear weapons and deterrence is that it is moral to protect one's country against possible destruction. Others believe that the very existence of these nuclear weapons threatens all of humanity. Another reason that people are against it is because the idea of deterrence is immoral because it involves threatening hundreds of millions of lives in a nation.
2. What is the difference between a strategic and a tactical nuclear weapon?
Tactical nuclear weapons are made to be used on the battlefield in military situations. Strategic nuclear weapons, on the other hand, have a target for a military base or heavily populated area in order to prevent the other side to wage war. In 2002, President Bush and Putin signed a treaty which included reducing the operational, ready to use, strategic warehouse to between 1,700 and 2,200 by 2012, but the tactical nuclear weapons which are not operational did not have to be destroyed.
3. What is nuclear proliferation?
Nuclear proliferation is the spreading of nuclear weapons to other countries.
4. What role has the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty played in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons?
The NPT helped preventing the spreading of nuclear weapons. For one that countries that do have nuclear weapons are not to give nuclear weapons or any form of nuclear weapon technology to countries that do not have nuclear weapons. Also the places that do have nuclear weapons reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons. The countries that are apart of the treaty and do not have nuclear weapons agree not to try and acquire nuclear weapons, if they are given the equipment, materials, and knowledge needed in order to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. The supporters of the treaty prevented President Kennedy's worry of twenty five nuclear weapon states by 1970s.
5. Explain Secretary of State Rice's high level of concern about the Russian nuclear arsenal. (See her quote on page 16 of your reading.)
Due to the fact, that the Russian society has undergone a huge transformation since the Cold War has ended their society is now more free, but has a higher criminal rate and it is more chaotic. The United States feared that Moscow is losing it's grip on keeping their nuclear material safe while they were having economic troubles. The Secretary of State Rice, was one of these people that had a great fear that the Russians were not able to handle their nuclear weapons properly, and that nuclear material was left unsecured; which is not acceptable. Rice believed that there should have been a safe dismantlement of the Soviet parental, which had nuclear safeguards to make sure that some of the nuclear weapon facilities were secured properly.
6. How as the threat of terrorism changed thinking about nuclear weapons?
In May 2003 the United States introduced the Proliferation Security Initiative, which is an effort to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and materials to make nuclear weapons; in the fear that terrorist will get a hold of them. Countries have put a high priority on efforts to stop shipments of nuclear- related materials. In November 2004, the UN Security Council passed the Resolution 1540, which applied to all states. It was very important in recent international measure dealing with nuclear proliferation; it calls on states to take specific steps to institute controls to prevent terrorist from getting nuclear material. Another thing that the United States is doing to help prevent terrorist in gaining a nuclear weapon is, tracking one thousand cargo containers coming into the United States, in fifteen major ports worldwide, because the way which a terrorist would most likely smuggle a nuclear weapon into America is on a cargo container.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Nuclear Arms Race Since 1945
1. Explain how Dragonfire's report on October 11, 2001 highlighted a new threat from nuclear weapons.
It highlighted a new threat because it was a growing fear of falling into nuclear war and it was questionable whether or not it is ethical to have them in order to protect the country, but it can also kill millions of people at once. The idea of terrorist getting their hands on a nuclear weapon was very frightening and if people knew that they had a nuclear weapon it would cause people to panic.
2. Why is proliferation such a strong concern for the United States?
Proliferation is the spreading of nuclear weapons in other countries, and the United States wants to prevent it at all costs. The reason is that the United States doesn't want other countries to be able to threaten them with the nuclear weapons, and nuclear war would just destroy humanity so the United States wants to prevent a nuclear war from happening. Having countries such as North Korea and Iraq having nuclear weapons would be extremely dangerous for the United States because of all of the tension between the two countries, which was created because of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are a part of the most complex and challenging foreign policy problems.
3. What is deterrence?
Deterrence is the treat to retaliate with nuclear weapons, if a nuclear war is started, which was suppose to prevent them from starting a nuclear war.
4. Explain the importance of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was when the Soviet Union tried to store nuclear weapons in Cuba which was only 90 miles away from Florida. This caused America to worry and considered invading Cuba, but ultimately invading Cuba would cause a full out nuclear war to happen. After being on the border line of nuclear war for thirteen days the Soviet Union and the United States made a deal that if the Soviet Union took their missiles out of Cuba then the United States wouldn't invade Cuba and they would take their missiles out of Turkey.
5. President John F. Kennedy worried that twenty-five nations would have nuclear weapons by the 1970s. Why do you think his worry did not come to pass?
The reason that it didn't happen is because a lot of other countries also did not want tons of countries having nuclear weapons. Some countries signed a treaty called Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is that it prevents other countries than the five that already have them, to have nuclear weapons but all of the countries could peaceful use nuclear energy. Both the United States and the Soviet Union cooperated to prevent proliferation because neither of them thought it was good for a lot of countries to have nuclear weapons. Since the power houses of the world agreed to stop proliferation, it did not happen.
6. What was the Cold War? How long did it last?
The Cold War was a stand off between the United States and the Soviet Union where both of them feared a nuclear attack from the other, therefore they kept building up the amount of nuclear weapons in case one country attacks the other. The Cold War started in 1946 and ended in December of 1990 when the Soviet Union ceased to exist.
It highlighted a new threat because it was a growing fear of falling into nuclear war and it was questionable whether or not it is ethical to have them in order to protect the country, but it can also kill millions of people at once. The idea of terrorist getting their hands on a nuclear weapon was very frightening and if people knew that they had a nuclear weapon it would cause people to panic.
2. Why is proliferation such a strong concern for the United States?
Proliferation is the spreading of nuclear weapons in other countries, and the United States wants to prevent it at all costs. The reason is that the United States doesn't want other countries to be able to threaten them with the nuclear weapons, and nuclear war would just destroy humanity so the United States wants to prevent a nuclear war from happening. Having countries such as North Korea and Iraq having nuclear weapons would be extremely dangerous for the United States because of all of the tension between the two countries, which was created because of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are a part of the most complex and challenging foreign policy problems.
3. What is deterrence?
Deterrence is the treat to retaliate with nuclear weapons, if a nuclear war is started, which was suppose to prevent them from starting a nuclear war.
4. Explain the importance of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was when the Soviet Union tried to store nuclear weapons in Cuba which was only 90 miles away from Florida. This caused America to worry and considered invading Cuba, but ultimately invading Cuba would cause a full out nuclear war to happen. After being on the border line of nuclear war for thirteen days the Soviet Union and the United States made a deal that if the Soviet Union took their missiles out of Cuba then the United States wouldn't invade Cuba and they would take their missiles out of Turkey.
5. President John F. Kennedy worried that twenty-five nations would have nuclear weapons by the 1970s. Why do you think his worry did not come to pass?
The reason that it didn't happen is because a lot of other countries also did not want tons of countries having nuclear weapons. Some countries signed a treaty called Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is that it prevents other countries than the five that already have them, to have nuclear weapons but all of the countries could peaceful use nuclear energy. Both the United States and the Soviet Union cooperated to prevent proliferation because neither of them thought it was good for a lot of countries to have nuclear weapons. Since the power houses of the world agreed to stop proliferation, it did not happen.
6. What was the Cold War? How long did it last?
The Cold War was a stand off between the United States and the Soviet Union where both of them feared a nuclear attack from the other, therefore they kept building up the amount of nuclear weapons in case one country attacks the other. The Cold War started in 1946 and ended in December of 1990 when the Soviet Union ceased to exist.
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