80 Years After Hiroshima, the World is on the Brink of Another Nuclear Catastrophe

Kokcha News Agency – In a recent analysis, Foreign Policy has sounded the alarm over the increasing tensions among nuclear powers worldwide, highlighting the lack of adequate deterrence measures to prevent a potential catastrophe. The report underscores that the “ultimate weapon”—the atomic bomb—has not been removed from global conflicts but has instead become a routine tool of geopolitical threats.

The analysis recalls a quote from Michael Hirsh on the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing: “Rather than learning from that tragedy, we are closer than ever to repeating it, especially as current leaders—particularly Donald Trump—have become a factor in increasing the risk.”

The publication points to active tensions among nuclear powers, from the battlefields of Eastern Europe to the Indian subcontinent and the Korean Peninsula, where countries with nuclear arsenals are either engaged in active conflicts or on the brink of direct confrontation.

In Europe, Russia has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons to deter NATO’s military support for Ukraine. In Asia, the terrorist attack in Kashmir in April led to armed clashes between India and Pakistan, two nations with a history of potential nuclear conflict.

Meanwhile, Israel and the U.S. targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities in June in an attempt to halt Tehran’s atomic program, raising concerns that the Islamic Republic might restart its weapons project.

Foreign Policy argues that as arms control negotiations crumble globally, the only way to prevent disaster is to establish frameworks for managing tensions among nuclear powers. The report highlights the Cold War experience, where the “hotline” between Washington and Moscow was a key factor in crisis management. However, today, there is no formal military communication between Russia and NATO, and distrust between India and Pakistan has disrupted high-level military contacts.

The report suggests that re-establishing clear and stable communication channels before a crisis erupts could help reduce tensions quickly. It recommends that India and Pakistan create direct lines between their prime ministers’ offices and secret channels between national security advisors to facilitate dialogue during heightened tensions.

Foreign Policy also expresses concern over the erosion of non-proliferation regimes, including the declining role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in addressing Iran’s nuclear program. The report warns that Tehran views the IAEA as a tool of Western political interference and calls for countries in the Global South to openly support the agency’s non-political mission to maintain trust.

The publication recalls the G20 leaders’ joint statement in 2022, initiated by Indonesia, which reaffirmed that the use or threat of nuclear weapons is “unacceptable.” This stance should be reiterated ahead of the next Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference.

The report concludes: “Although there has been no military use of nuclear weapons since the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and the last on Nagasaki on August 9 of the same year, maintaining this record requires urgent and targeted risk reduction efforts.” *Foreign Policy* warns that if the world remains indifferent to the current dangers, this 80-year gap may mark the unfinished end of a historic achievement.