Last week about two-thirds of the nations in the word voted on a legally binding treaty to ban nuclear weapons. While this might seem like a harmless measure, this is perhaps one of the more insane things that you will see come out of the UN. The Independent reports:
More than 120 countries approved the first-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons Friday at a UN meeting boycotted by all nuclear-armed nations.
To loud applause, Elayne Whyte Gomez, president of the UN conference that has been negotiating the legally binding treaty, announced the results of the “historic” vote — 122 nations in favour, the Netherlands opposed, and Singapore abstaining.
Of course, New Zealand voted for it too. While it is perhaps in line with our own nuclear stance, to me this further proof of the absolute incompetent and destructive Bill English foreign policy. It is one thing to be an anti-nuclear nation surrounded by nuclear-powered allies, it is quite another to want those allies who are keeping you safe to disarm as well.
“We have managed to sow the first seeds of a world free of nuclear weapons,” Whyte Gomez said. “We (are) ... saying to our children that, yes, it is possible to inherit a world free from nuclear weapons.”
No, it is not possible to inherit a world free from nuclear weapons. Once something has been invented and widely spread, it cannot be uninvented. You cannot wish it away and you cannot legislate it away. Nuclear weapons are so powerful that they can guarantee victory against any nation that does not have them, while at the same time they make war impossible between two nuclear-armed nations. No major powers have engaged in open war against each other since the first use of nukes to end WWII.
If the goal of universal disarmament were actually achieved, the next day it would be followed by an arms-race like never seen before. The first third-world dictator to build functioning nukes could basically rule the world or just genocide a few nations they didn't like. The current nuclear non-proliferation treaties don't quite work, even with UN sanctions and boycotts. Now image a world where you could actually use a nuke without reciprocation. No sanction or sternly-worded letter would be powerful enough to dissuade the usual culprits from trying to become the first to be all-powerful.
Some might say that universal disarmament is a worthy goal, even if it is not achievable. I would argue that it is far from a worthy goal. Some dreams are dangerous, and the dream of a nuclear free world would quickly become a nightmare.
A world without nukes is not just impossible, it is also far more dangerous than we could possibly imagine.