2008 Woodie Awards
The Virtues of Pax Atomica
How nuclear weapons keep the peace by their very presence on the world stage.
John Ferreira
Issue date: 10/7/05 Section: Opinions
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There has been no stronger deterrent to interstate wars between major powers in the history than nuclear weapons. War has been changed because of nuclear weapons, and the way states deal with one another has also been impacted. It seems that the world fails to notice that capacity to destroy the world many times actually makes the globe safer.
This is the paradoxical world in which we live in. Our safety is maintained by weapons that could easily destroy us. We living the age of Pax Atomica, it has now been 60 years since the major powers of the world have engaged in open and direct conflict.
Most fail to realize that the world is not as prone to massive upheavals (like World War II) in part because of the impact that nuclear weapons has had. Consider the evidence. Since the first military use of nuclear weapons in 1945, the major powers have not engaged in open and direct war.
Both Soviets and Americans were fearful of making any aggressive for fear of a nuclear response. The Soviet Union was surrounded with missiles aimed right at Moscow; this certainly sobered the USSR's dreams of military expansion. Nazi Germany too might have been sobered from their delusions if nuclear warheads had been pointed at Berlin in 1939.
Even though there have been wars after 1945; they have been nothing compared the massive upheavals of World Wars I and II. Even though we presently live in fear of wars with rogue states or battle insurgencies throughout the globe it should be seen as a luxury. Conflicts between states, not to mention major powers, are far more injurious. The state has incredible power of coercion. From its abilities to mobilize the masses into soliders to its vast access of resources both internal and external states are far more fearsome enemies then extra-state actors. Event though non-state actors are harder to defeat, as we see in our current situation in Iraq.
The world today is riddled with low-intensity conflicts that have dragged on for years and years. This might be incredibly morbid, but one must realize that this is a preferable alternative to large scale wars amongst powerful states. Nuclear weapons therefore provide the world with the lesser of two evils.
This is the paradoxical world in which we live in. Our safety is maintained by weapons that could easily destroy us. We living the age of Pax Atomica, it has now been 60 years since the major powers of the world have engaged in open and direct conflict.
Most fail to realize that the world is not as prone to massive upheavals (like World War II) in part because of the impact that nuclear weapons has had. Consider the evidence. Since the first military use of nuclear weapons in 1945, the major powers have not engaged in open and direct war.
Both Soviets and Americans were fearful of making any aggressive for fear of a nuclear response. The Soviet Union was surrounded with missiles aimed right at Moscow; this certainly sobered the USSR's dreams of military expansion. Nazi Germany too might have been sobered from their delusions if nuclear warheads had been pointed at Berlin in 1939.
Even though there have been wars after 1945; they have been nothing compared the massive upheavals of World Wars I and II. Even though we presently live in fear of wars with rogue states or battle insurgencies throughout the globe it should be seen as a luxury. Conflicts between states, not to mention major powers, are far more injurious. The state has incredible power of coercion. From its abilities to mobilize the masses into soliders to its vast access of resources both internal and external states are far more fearsome enemies then extra-state actors. Event though non-state actors are harder to defeat, as we see in our current situation in Iraq.
The world today is riddled with low-intensity conflicts that have dragged on for years and years. This might be incredibly morbid, but one must realize that this is a preferable alternative to large scale wars amongst powerful states. Nuclear weapons therefore provide the world with the lesser of two evils.