JRL NEWSWATCH: “A new nuclear arms race is here: How to slow it down” – Washington Post
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“The world is entering a dangerous nuclear arms race … but it does not have to end in catastrophe. Treaties controlling nuclear arms — verifiable and binding, to limit or reduce stockpiles and prevent miscalculation or error — can lead to more stability. They require political will … that does not exist today. The new factor is China … aspir[ing] to roughly match the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia …. Nuclear weapons can destroy societies … [N]uclear fire is more powerful by a factor of 10 million to 100 million than chemical fire in conventional explosives.
While a nuclear weapon has not been used in combat since World War II, there have been significant risks: At least eight nuclear-armed nations have carried out 2,056 nuclear weapons tests underground and in the air, as well as dozens of false alarms and close calls. The danger of misunderstanding or miscalculation grows … on launch-ready alert …. Russia has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons during its war against Ukraine, [also] showing how … they can play an outsize role in coercion and conflict. …”