Warfare is one of the most tragic institutions devised by humans. Many philosophers and intellectuals of by-gone eras have pondered over the destruction left by war. They have questioned the merits behind purported motives for war. The scale of human and material loss incurred in wars is hard to justify through reasoning. If conventional warfare is bad enough then nuclear confrontation is even more catastrophic. The only known instances of the deployment of nuclear bombs happened toward the closing days of World War II, when Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were atom bombed. It led to the loss of nearly a million civilian lives and total destruction of the city. Even those who survived this event, continued to suffer under effects of radioactive radiation for many subsequent years. A generation of Japanese children was born with congenital defects as a result of mothers’ exposure to radiation. Political leaders of today will have to consider their nuclear weapons program in the backdrop of this ghastly human disaster. The rest of the essay will point out the pros and cons of horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons.
It is very difficult to talk of the merits and demerits of horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons without considering the effects of vertical proliferation. Horizontal proliferation is the acquisition of know-how, technology and material by a nation-state or a political/militant group so as to manufacture nuclear weapons of their own. The term ‘horizontal proliferation’ is used to refer to nation-states or similar entities that do not already have nuclear weapons but aspire and endeavour toward this goal. Vertical proliferation is the process of consolidation and improvisation of nuclear weapons by nation-states already well-established in making nuclear weapons. It is fair to say that vertical proliferation induces horizontal proliferation, as the latter group feels more and more insecure with their militarily well-endowed neighbouring states. In the years after the Second World War, Cold War was the political theatre upon which various nations placed their rationale for developing nuclear weapons. Yet, even as recently as a decade ago, only a handful of nations were classified under the nuclear-enabled category of states (Krepon, 2012, p. 44). Recent geo-political developments, especially in the wake of September 11, 2001 terror strikes on the United States have significantly altered the internal political dynamics of many nations in the Middle-East and Asia. It is these two continents which are most keen to become nuclear-enabled. But the irony is that their main perceived threat is not Islamic terrorism but the excesses of US imperialism and the neo-liberal project. Emerging economies in the Middle-East and Asia see the United States and its allies as the greatest threat to their prospects. As a result, they are put in a position where embracing nuclear weapons becomes a prudent defence strategy. American governments of the past, especially the one run by George W. Bush showed unequivocal disrespect for international law and arms control treaties. For example,
“The invasion of Iraq, carried out despite the lack of a United Nations Security Council endorsement and even though UNMOVIC reported that Iraq’s nuclear capability had indeed been dismantled, is the primary example of such disdain. The termination of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the Administration’s assertion of a prerogative for “pre-emption” that amounts to “preventive war” are further reasons for horizontal nuclear proliferation.” (Quester, 2008, p.143).