‘The memories of the horrors of nuclear war and radiation seem to be lost on today’s leaders’

‘The memories of the horrors of nuclear war and radiation seem to be lost on today’s leaders’

Now there is a growing belief that possessing nuclear weapons is unavoidable in order to protect countries said the mayor of Hiroshima. He went on this not only nullifies the lessons learned but also seriously undermines peace buildingilding. His words as exactly 80 years since an atomic bomb was used in war for the first time. Thousands bowed their heads in prayer. The city was leveled on August the 6th, 1945. a uranium bomb killing about 78,000 people instantly. A total of well over 200,000 by the end of the year in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki put together. Well, let’s hear first of all uh from the Japanese prime minister talking today. The divisions within the international community over nuclear disarmament are deepening and the current security environment is becoming increasingly severe. However, precisely because of this, we will make every effort to realize a world without nuclear war and a world without nuclear weapons. And let’s hear as well from one survivor about what happened in the days and weeks after the explosion. I eventually came to understand that atomic bomb survivors like me were marginalized and seen as different. For several months after the bomb, it was thought that the contamination was spreading. A friend, perhaps out of simple curiosity, carelessly asked me, “But you, are you sure you’re not contagious?” For me, that question was a real shock. It really hurt me. Okay. Joining me now is fellow in the nuclear policy program at the Cariegi Endowment for International Peace and an associate as well with a project on managing the atom at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belf Center, Nikuel Grazki. Thanks very much for joining us on the program today. We heard there from the Japanese prime minister. We heard as well the mayor of Hiroshima warning about the new proliferation of nuclear weapons, warning that it really nullifies the lessons learned. I mean, we really have failed, haven’t we, to draw lessons from history? Well, it seems so. And this has been a long kind of u running trend that’s actually really come to fruition since the Russian invasion of Ukraine with the flippant nuclear threats but also on the Korean peninsula with North Korea that is no longer a member of the nuclear non-prololiferation treaty and perhaps most recently with the kind of uh catastrophe that has evolved um from Iran’s nuclear program and the unfolding 12-day war. So, a lot of the memories of the horrors of nuclear war and the horrors of radiation um seem to be lost on quite a bit of the leaders today. I mean, is that simply because they’re thinking ahead rather than thinking back? Well, for some countries, nuclear weapons are seen as a security guarantor. Um, this is definitely the view of the great powers or the P5. So the US, Russia, China, uh the UK, France, um these countries that have long-standing um relationships with uh nuclear weapons, the five countries that are recognized as nuclear powers, but there’s also a growing number of regional states, and this includes India and Pakistan and North Korea and potentially even Iran that see nuclear weapons as kind of this ultimate safety net. And so that’s where I think this kind of disconnect between the horrors of nuclear war um emerged but also the view that it also provides security. I mean initially it was very much wasn’t it that big arms race between the US and Russia that took up people’s minds and people’s anxieties if you like. Yes. I mean the kind of arms race between the US and the Soviet Union and subsequently Russia was what also also led to um various arms control initiatives and we see that eroding today and this is being compounded by the fact that China’s nuclear arsenal is now growing to a size that is roughly or bound to be comparable to the US and Russia by 2035 and this is based on US intelligence assessments. So this is creating a worrying atmosphere where there’s a growth of nuclear uh weapons. Um but also the restrictions on these weapons are eroding. And this kind of the last remaining remnant of arms control which is the new start agreement is set to expire in February 2026. And so after that essentially the the US and Russia will be unconstrained when it comes to building up their nuclear arsenals. As the number of countries involved in having nuclear weapons if you like continues to spread and perhaps uh some less advanced countries begin to get nuclear weapons. Do you have concerns as well over safety just over nuclear accidents potentially? Yes. I mean this was a large issue actually um after the collapse of the Soviet Union where many of the former Soviet successor states had um nuclear infrastructure and and there was a concern about the safety of these facilities but also the potential for some of this technology and material to um get in the arms of non-state actors. I mean operating a nuclear arsenal and and the kind of um facilities involved in this requires quite a bit of safety. And so one of the concerns, and I think we’re seeing this with Iran, is what to do with material that isn’t under these kind of stringent um controls, but also safeguards when it comes to civilian even civilian nuclear energy as well. We should talk about France um particularly as well. We are France 24 after I mean France is obviously a major player if you like and France uh provided with the task if that’s the right word or or asked to step up um more and more particularly notably uh with the ongoing war in Ukraine to to protect other European countries as it is part of Europe as well. I mean for France has historically had a very interesting uh relationship when it comes to NATO and also the United States um and its nuclear deterrent. it’s had much more of an independent role. Um, and so from some of the recent comments from President Mron have indicated that France does see itself as kind of being uh this European um deterrent or or seeing that potentially that evolve into this. Um, but thus far we have the the UK and France have made several statements and also this recent agreement um that might um see the future leading towards a more independent role um for the Europeans when it comes to um their deterrent. Let’s end on a more human question if that’s possible. I mean knowing human nature, is there any way that this can be reversed now do you think? Well, the the real trouble and the kind of consequences of the creation of uh the nuclear age or the atomic weapon is that it takes away a sense of humanity because the consequences are so unfathomable. Um however there have been efforts by civil society and also by uh certain governments to um forstall these kind of more dangerous effects of uh nuclear weapons and and so perhaps in the future there will be kind of a galvanizing force that will um come together and try to push for more restrictions um on nuclear weapons because of the the level of destruction that could be incurred because of them. Nicole Graeski, thanks very much for joining us on the program Nicole Gowski talking to us there.

Hiroshima on Wednesday marked the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japanese city, with many aging survivors expressing frustration about the growing support of global leaders for nuclear weapons as a deterrence. The bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and Japan’s nearly half-century of aggression in Asia. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24’s Stuart Norval welcomes Nicole Grajewski, Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her focus is on Russian nuclear strategy, Iran’s nuclear decision-making and nuclear deterrence.
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