Free news Nuclear weapons in Belarus: no secrets? “No one will have time to get scared.” Nuclear weapons may return to Belarus Belarus has renounced nuclear weapons
Almost every day the media reports about new tests nuclear weapons. Russia and the United States are testing their nuclear potential by launching from various launch vehicles.
Fortunately, before the heat of passions Cuban missile crisis 1962 is still far away, but troubling questions remain that we will try to answer.
Who has nuclear weapons today?
Today the members nuclear club"are the USA, Russia, Great Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea. Israel probably also has atomic weapons, but the country neither confirms nor denies this fact.
The American B-52 will be able to deliver up to 31.5 tons nuclear bombs and missiles to almost anywhere in the world. Photo: wikipedia.org
The most difficult things to detect and destroy are nuclear submarines armed with nuclear missiles, mobile soil complexes and nuclear trains. By the way, Russia is actively working on the creation of such a train, armed with six RS-24 Yars ICBMs.
The United States has the most powerful submarine with nuclear missiles. Their Ohio nuclear submarines have colossal destructive power. Each of them is equipped with 24 missile silos, which is still an unsurpassed world record. In total, the Americans have eighteen such submarines.
The main boats are Trident missiles II D-5, which can be equipped with either 14 W76 warheads with a yield of 100 kt, or 8 W88 warheads (475 kt).
Thus, having fired all its ammunition, the Ohio is capable of unleashing up to 336 warheads on the enemy.
What can a nuclear warhead do?
The lead in the use of nuclear weapons belongs to the United States, which dropped nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was 13-18 kilotons. This was enough to destroy all buildings within a radius of 2 km from the epicenter. Within a radius of 12 kilometers, buildings suffered more or less significant destruction. 90% of people who were at a distance of 800 meters or less from the epicenter died in the first minutes.
Journalists are filming nuclear explosion. Photo: ammoussr.ru For comparison: the power of a modern warhead of the Topol-M complex is 550 Kt - this is approximately 30 Hiroshima. According to information published by meduza.io, such an explosion is capable of destroying almost all buildings within a radius of 5 kilometers from the epicenter. Destruction varying degrees Severities will occur within a radius of 30 kilometers.
Range of modern nuclear missiles is 8-11 thousand km, this is enough to hit any target on Earth. The accuracy of these deadly products is quite high. For example, Russian rocket The RS-18 Stiletto has a probable circular deviation of about 350 meters.
What guarantees of non-use are there?
The entire theory of deterrence is based on the inevitability of mutual destruction in the event of a nuclear conflict. In Soviet times, such a guarantee was the “Perimeter” system, or “Dead Hand”, as it was called in the West.
Photo: iveinternet.ru The “Dead Hand” was endowed with the ability to analyze changes in the military and political situation in the world - the machine assessed commands received over a certain period of time, and on their basis could conclude that “something is wrong” in the world.
If the Perimeter brain decided that a nuclear strike had been carried out on the country and the entire leadership had been destroyed, then the system would be activated to release the entire remaining nuclear arsenal at the enemy. “Perimeter” could bring the team not only to silo-based missiles, but also to missile submarines equipped with nuclear weapons, control centers of the Air Force, Navy and Strategic Missile Forces, naval and long-range missile-carrying aircraft.
Photo: dokwar.ru Last year, Russia announced the planned modernization of the Dead Hand automatic control system.
The Journal of International Relations Theory and World Politics writes that today the United States and other members of the nuclear club have different understandings of the essence of the emerging “offensive deterrence.” For Americans, it is important to force Russia, China and illegal nuclear powers to reduce their nuclear capabilities. For Moscow and Beijing, it is to encourage the United States to abandon unfriendly steps towards them.
Who could theoretically start a nuclear war?
Today, tensions exist between many nuclear-armed powers. Russia doesn't have the best better relationship with the USA, India with Pakistan, North Korea also threatens Americans.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photo: unian.net From the moment the decision is made to the pressing of the “red button,” a very short period of time passes, during which the fate of millions of people is decided. So, Hillary Clinton said that it takes about 4 minutes from the moment the order is given until the people responsible for launching nuclear weapons do it.
Military observer Alexander Golts in an interview with meduza.io said that he decided to start nuclear war Only a leader who has “super values” can. That is, someone for whom there is something more important than the survival of his own people.
“In this case, the doctrine of mutual deterrence ceases to work: after all, this leader is not afraid that irreparable damage will be caused to his country. In addition, it is required that such a leader should not be bound by the need to consult with anyone. North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un best meets these criteria.”.
Nuclear summer or winter: what will a nuclear war lead to?
What happens after a nuclear exchange? Professor at the American College of Wooster John Gates is confident that a nuclear summer will come. In his book The US Army and Irregular Warfare, Gates suggested that after numerous nuclear explosions, as well as the numerous fires they caused, the temperature on Earth would rise by several degrees.
According to another version, nuclear winter may come. This was first mentioned in the work “Nuclear Winter: global consequences multiple nuclear explosions" (Nuclear Winter: Global consequences of multiple nuclear explosions) in 1983.
In it, scientists came to the conclusion that the main effect of the explosions would be the cooling of the Earth, since the soot rising into the air would cover the Sun. In many regions of the earth, temperatures will drop below zero degrees, and this will last about a year.
In 2007-2008, Rutgers University scientist Alan Robock, as a result of research, came to the conclusion that after a global nuclear conflict, soot will be in upper layers atmosphere for about 10 years. At the same time, in North America Temperatures will drop by 20 degrees Celsius, and in Eurasia by 30.
Scientists Luc Ohman and Georgy Stenchikov believe that after nuclear war nuclear autumn will come. They wrote about this in their work in the Journal of Geophysical Research. According to their calculations, if about 150 million tons of soot are emitted into the atmosphere, the temperature on the Earth's surface will decrease by an average of seven to eight degrees Celsius. And even after 10 years, the temperature will remain 4 degrees below normal.
Experts regarded the negotiations held in Minsk by Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Grigory Karasin as a hint at the return of nuclear weapons to our country.
Tut.by drew attention to the visit of a high-ranking Russian diplomat to Belarus. The portal noted that in Minsk Grigory Karasin was expected not only at the Foreign Ministry, but also at the presidential administration. The Russian deputy minister was received by its leader, Vladimir Makei. At this meeting, according to the head of the department foreign policy Presidential administration of Maxim Ryzhenkov, a wide range of “specific sensitive issues” were discussed, writes Salidarnasts.
“With a high degree of probability, it can be assumed that one of the “specific sensitive issues” concerned cooperation in the military sphere,” the portal writes. - It is worth recalling that all last year there were difficult negotiations between Russia and the United States on the terms of placement American system Missile defense in Europe. These negotiations were never successful."
In this regard, it is mentioned that in November 2011, a military-diplomatic source in Moscow told Interfax that the Russian Federation could deploy missile systems“Iskander” and on the territory of Belarus: “This will allow us to fend off threats to strategic nuclear forces Russia in the event of the deployment of US missile defense elements near our borders.”
“It is quite possible that in the current situation things may go beyond anonymous statements from military-diplomatic sources,” the portal concluded
“The introduction of missiles is contrary to the highest law of the state”
Former judge Constitutional Court Belarus Mikhail Pastukhov considers possible placement atomic weapons Illegal on the territory of our country:
– Article 18 of the Constitution declares Belarus a nuclear-free zone and a neutral state. Therefore, the introduction of missiles, both offensive and defensive, is contrary to the highest law of the state.
A military columnist for the newspaper “Belorusy i Rynok”, Alexander Alesin, has a different opinion. He believes the option of placing atomic weapons on the territory of Belarus is quite possible.
– We will talk about Russian bases and Russian weapons, says the expert. - It will be under the jurisdiction of Russia, and will be formalized accordingly from the point of view of international treaties.
Alexander Alesin reminds that the practice of placing such bases is widespread in the North Atlantic Alliance:
– There are storage facilities in NATO countries American bombs, which were recently used for storing tactical nuclear warheads.
However, this scenario is fraught with extremely unpleasant consequences for our country.
“Belarus will automatically turn into a target and become the primary target of a preventive nuclear strike,” Alesin explained.
The expert believes more real option accommodation in Belarus Russian complexes"Iskander-M":
– Judging by the fact that Russia and the United States cannot agree on missile defense, if events pass the “point of return”, then the removal Russian weapons beyond the territory of the Russian Federation is quite possible.
“No one will cross the red line”
In turn, senior analyst of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Studies Denis Melyantsov considers it impossible to deploy nuclear weapons in our country.
“This is prohibited by international law, as is the option of deploying Russian interceptor missiles,” the expert noted. - Belarus declared itself a neutral state and committed itself not to deploy anti-missile missiles and other weapons that would significantly change the balance of power in the region.
According to the analyst, through the mouth of Grigory Karasin, Russia is coordinating not the prospects for deployment, but the “nuclear rhetoric” that is effective in international treaty processes.
“I’m not sure that Russia will ultimately decide to deploy missiles, because the negotiation process on missile defense is still underway,” emphasizes Denis Melyantsov. - The Obama administration is ready to make concessions. If we recall how the issue of Belarus’s participation in the missile defense system was discussed at the Munich Security Conference, escalation is not possible, but only rhetoric, which is very effective.
The expert believes that Russia is exploring all options when it comes to “flexing its muscles.”
“Most likely, the negotiations between the distinguished Russian guest and Vladimir Makei concerned precisely the coordination of rhetoric on the issue of weapons deployment,” notes the interlocutor of Salidarnastsi. - Official Minsk, in turn, competently plays along. We are monitoring the situation in relations with Russia and can state: over the past six months, there have been virtually no negative statements from official Minsk regarding Moscow.
– There is no need for atomic weapons and missile defenses. This will worsen the West’s relations with Russia and certainly with Belarus. The imperative for the survival of the Belarusian government is the possibility of balance. No one will cross the red line...
At the session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, many states have already signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (it was adopted on July 7, 2017 at UN headquarters and opened for signature on September 20. - Ed.). As UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres put it, they want to create a world “without weapons.” doomsday"But countries that have nuclear weapons (nuclear weapons) are not participating in the initiative.
Uwho has nuclear weapons and how many?
It is generally accepted that today there are actually nine nuclear powers in the world - the USA, Russia, France, Great Britain, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and the DPRK. At their disposal, according to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) as of January 2017, there are a total of about 15 thousand nuclear warheads. But they are distributed very unevenly among the G9 countries. The United States and Russia account for 93 percent of all nuclear warheads on the planet.
Who has the official nuclear status, and who doesn’t?
Officially, only those that signed the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons are considered nuclear powers. These are (in order of the creation of their first atomic bomb) - USA (1945), USSR/Russia (1949), Great Britain (1952), France (1960) and China (1964). The remaining four countries, although they have nuclear weapons, have not joined the treaty on their non-proliferation.
North Korea withdrew from the treaty, Israel has never officially recognized its nuclear weapons, but Tel Aviv is believed to have them. In addition, the United States suggests that Iran continues to work on creating an atomic bomb, despite the official renunciation of military use nuclear energy and monitoring by the IAEA.
How the number of nuclear warheads changed
Although over time more and more states began to possess nuclear weapons, the number of nuclear warheads today is significantly lower than in the days cold war. In the 1980s there were about 70 thousand. Today, their number continues to decline in accordance with the disarmament agreement concluded by the United States and Russia in 2010 (START III Treaty). But the quantity is not so important. Almost all nuclear powers are modernizing their arsenal and making it even more powerful.
What initiatives are there for nuclear disarmament?
The oldest such initiative is the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The signatory states that do not have nuclear weapons undertake to permanently abandon their creation. The official nuclear powers undertake to negotiate disarmament. However, the agreement did not stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Another weakness treaty - it divides the world in the long term into those who have nuclear weapons and those who do not. Critics of the document also note that the five official nuclear powers are also permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Have there been successful nuclear disarmament treaties?
The United States and the USSR/Russia have destroyed a significant number of nuclear warheads and their delivery vehicles since the end of the Cold War. According to the START I treaty (signed in July 1991, entered into force in December 1994, expired in December 2009. - Ed.), Washington and Moscow have significantly reduced their nuclear arsenals.
Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signing the New START Treaty, April 2010
This process was not easy and was slowed down from time to time, but the goal was so important for both sides that Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed the START III treaty in the spring of 2010. Obama then announced his desire for a nuclear-free world. Further fate treaty is considered uncertain due to the policy of demonstration military force carried out by US President Donald Trump, and Russian actions towards Ukraine.
Which countries have given up nuclear weapons?
South Africa abandoned attempts to create an atomic bomb shortly before the abolition of the apartheid regime, as did Libya in 2003. The former republics of the USSR stand apart here, having inherited nuclear weapons after its collapse. Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed the Lisbon Protocol, making them parties to the START I treaty, and then acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Ukraine had the largest arsenal, the third in the world after the United States and Russia. Having refused it, Kyiv received in return financial assistance, as well as guarantees of safety and territorial integrity from nuclear powers, enshrined in the so-called Budapest Memorandum. However, the memorandum was in the nature of a voluntary commitment, was not ratified by any of the states that signed it, and did not provide for a sanctions mechanism.
Context
Since the beginning of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014, critics of the memorandum say that Kyiv’s refusal to renounce nuclear weapons has not justified itself. They believe that Ukraine's nuclear weapons would not allow Russia to annex Crimea. On the other hand, experts note that the example of North Korea can cause a chain reaction when everyone more countries will want to get atomic warheads.
What are the prospects for banning nuclear weapons?
The current initiative to ban nuclear weapons is nothing more than a symbolic gesture against race nuclear weapons. If only because all nine nuclear powers are not taking part in this initiative. They claim that nuclear weapons are best protection from attack, and point to a pre-existing non-proliferation treaty. But this agreement does not talk about a ban.
NATO also does not support the treaty, which opened for signature on September 20. The campaign for its signing, as stated in the official statement of the alliance, “does not take into account the increasingly threatening international situation in the security sector." Jean-Yves Le Drian, France's foreign minister, called the initiative an "almost irresponsible" "self-deception" that would only weaken the non-proliferation treaty, he said.
On the other hand, Beatrice Fihn, head of the international campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons, called on countries around the world to join the initiative. She emphasized that nuclear weapons are “the only type of weapon mass destruction, which is still not prohibited, despite its destructive power and threat to humanity." According to her, with Donald Trump coming to power in the United States, this threat has increased.
See also:
North Korean missiles and bombs
Missile launches in North Korea last years have become noticeably more frequent. Pyongyang is testing ballistic missiles in defiance of UN resolutions and gradually tightening sanctions. Experts do not even rule out the outbreak of hostilities on the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea's missile and nuclear tests: a project of three generations of Kims
Beginning - during the late Kim Il Sung
Although the number of missile tests has increased in the last four years, the first of them were carried out back in 1984 - under then North Korean leader Kim Il Sung. According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, over the last 10 years of his rule, the DPRK conducted 15 tests, with no launches from 1986 to 1989 inclusive.
North Korea's missile and nuclear tests: a project of three generations of Kims
Kim Jong Il: the beginning of nuclear tests
Kim Jong Il, the son of Kim Il Sung, who led the country in July 1994, also did not stand aside. During the 17 years of his reign, 16 missile tests were carried out, although almost all of them occurred in two years - 2006 (7 launches) and 2009 (8). This is less than in the first 8 months of 2017. However, it was during the reign of Kim Jong Il that Pyongyang conducted its first two nuclear weapons tests - in 2006 and 2009.
North Korea's missile and nuclear tests: a project of three generations of Kims
Kim Jong-un: unprecedented activity
Under the son and grandson of the former rulers, North Korea's missile activity reached an unprecedented level. Over the past 6 years, Pyongyang has already carried out 84 ballistic missile launches. Not all of them were successful; in some cases, the rockets exploded at launch or during flight.
North Korea's missile and nuclear tests: a project of three generations of Kims
Towards Guam
In early August 2017, reports emerged that the North Korean army was developing a plan to launch four ballistic missiles medium range towards the US military base on the island of Guam in Pacific Ocean. US President Donald Trump's response was predictably harsh and threatening.
North Korea's missile and nuclear tests: a project of three generations of Kims
Over Japanese territory
On August 29, 2017, the DPRK carried out another test, and this time the missile flew over Japanese territory - the island of Hokkaido. Kim Jong-un said that launching a missile towards Japan is preparation for war in the Pacific Ocean.
North Korea's missile and nuclear tests: a project of three generations of Kims
Sixth nuclear
A few days after the missile was launched over Japan, North Korea announced that it had successfully tested a nuclear weapon, adding that we're talking about O hydrogen bomb. This was the sixth underground nuclear explosion carried out by Pyongyang. Experts estimated the bomb's yield to be approximately 100 kilotons.
North Korea's missile and nuclear tests: a project of three generations of Kims
Meetings and condemnatory statements
After almost every North Korean missile or nuclear test, the security councils convene for emergency meetings. different countries and the UN Security Council. But they, like the condemning statements of world leaders, have not yet brought any effect.
The Republic of Belarus is important participant global efforts for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament in the context of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Belarus first declared its intention to make its territory a nuclear-free zone in 1990 in the Declaration on state sovereignty The Republic of Belarus". By signing the Lisbon Protocol in 1992, Belarus formalized its membership in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). This step was inextricably linked with the adoption of the most important political decision on Belarus' accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a state that does not possess nuclear weapons.
In July 1993, Belarus officially acceded to the NPT, becoming the first state to voluntarily renounce the possibility of possessing nuclear weapons remaining after the collapse of the USSR. It must be emphasized that Belarus has refused to possess the most modern military nuclear potential without any preconditions or reservations. Thus, our country actually marked the beginning of the process of resolving issues nuclear disarmament in the post-Soviet space in the interests international peace and safety. Welcoming the fact of Belarus's accession to the NPT as a non-nuclear state, Great Britain, Russia and the United States provided security guarantees to Belarus, fixing their obligations in the Budapest Memorandum on December 5, 1994.
The removal of nuclear weapons from the territory of Belarus was completed in November 1996.
Belarus views the obligation of nuclear-weapon states under Article VI of the NPT to negotiate effective measures for nuclear disarmament as the main strategic goal of the Treaty. We support a balanced and step-by-step approach to nuclear disarmament. Belarus welcomed the signing by Russia and the United States on April 8, 2010 of a new Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms as the next step towards the reduction of nuclear weapons. We consider it necessary to continue efforts at the national, regional and global levels to move towards the goal of general nuclear disarmament.
The problem of guarantees of the non-use of nuclear weapons against states parties to the NPT that do not possess such weapons remains relevant. Providing unambiguous security guarantees is the key to trust and predictability in international relations and can help strengthen the regime nuclear non-proliferation based on the NPT. Belarus intends to continue working on obtaining legally binding guarantees, which could be formalized in the form of a separate international instrument.
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons laid the foundation international system guarantees excluding the use of peaceful nuclear energy for military purposes. Such a system operates under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency and involves the conclusion of separate agreements with the IAEA by each state party to the NPT.
In accordance with its obligations under the NPT, in 1996 Belarus concluded a Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA. The Agency’s verification activities carried out on the basis of this Agreement confirm the fulfillment by Belarus of its obligations for the exclusively peaceful use of nuclear material and installations. In 2005, Belarus and the IAEA signed an Additional Protocol to the Safeguards Agreement. This document significantly expands the IAEA's ability to carry out verification activities.
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons clearly guarantees the right of states to pursue peaceful nuclear programs, subject to compliance with non-proliferation obligations. This provision of the NPT is especially relevant due to the fact that currently there is an increase in the attention of the world community to the development of nuclear technologies, primarily to the creation of national nuclear energy programs. In this regard, Belarus is interested in ensuring that the rights of the participating states enshrined in the Treaty are implemented fully and on a non-discriminatory basis.
In May 2010, the NPT Review Conference, held once every five years, was held in New York, in which the Belarusian delegation took part. The conference concluded with the adoption of a final document, including conclusions and recommendations for future action. The Belarusian delegation took an active part in the work of the conference, in particular, in the development of the action plan in the field of nuclear disarmament approved by the final document. We believe that paragraph 8 of the action plan, indicating the obligation of nuclear-weapon states to comply with existing security guarantees, is directly applicable to the guarantees provided to Belarus in accordance with the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, especially taking into account the fact that the said document was registered as an international document by the UN on November 13, 2012 agreement.
The preparation process for the 2015 Review Conference is currently underway.
IN recent months North Korea and the United States are actively exchanging threats to destroy each other. Since both countries have nuclear arsenals, the world is closely monitoring the situation. On the Day of Fight for complete liquidation nuclear weapons, we decided to remind who has them and in what quantities. Today, it is officially known that eight countries that form the so-called Nuclear Club have such weapons.
Who exactly has nuclear weapons?
The first and only state to use nuclear weapons against another country is USA. In August 1945, during World War II, the United States dropped nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The attack killed more than 200 thousand people.
Nuclear mushroom over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right). Source: wikipedia.org Year of first test: 1945
Carriers nuclear charges: submarines, ballistic missiles and bombers
Number of warheads: 6800, including 1800 deployed (ready for use)
Russia has the largest nuclear stockpile. After the collapse of the Union, the only heir nuclear arsenal became Russia.
Year of first test: 1949
Nuclear charge carriers: submarines, missile systems, heavy bombers, in the future - nuclear trains
Number of warheads: 7,000, including 1,950 deployed (ready for use)
Great Britain is the only country that has not conducted a single test on its territory. The country has 4 submarines with nuclear warheads; other types of troops were disbanded by 1998.
Year of first test: 1952
Nuclear charge carriers: submarines
Number of warheads: 215, including 120 deployed (ready for use)
France conducted ground tests of a nuclear charge in Algeria, where it built a test site for this.
Year of first test: 1960
Nuclear charge carriers: submarines and fighter-bombers
Number of warheads: 300, including 280 deployed (ready for use)
China tests weapons only on its territory. China has pledged not to be the first to use nuclear weapons. China in the transfer of technology for the production of nuclear weapons to Pakistan.
Year of first test: 1964
Nuclear charge carriers: ballistic launch vehicles, submarines and strategic bombers
Number of warheads: 270 (in reserve)
India announced the possession of nuclear weapons in 1998. In the Indian Air Force, nuclear weapons carriers can be French and Russian tactical fighters.
Year of first test: 1974
Nuclear charge carriers: short, medium and extended range missiles
Number of warheads: 120−130 (in reserve)
Pakistan tested its weapons in response to Indian actions. The reaction to the emergence of nuclear weapons in the country was global sanctions. Recently ex-president Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf that Pakistan considered launching a nuclear strike on India in 2002. Bombs can be delivered by fighter-bombers.
Year of first test: 1998
Number of warheads: 130−140 (in reserve)
DPRK announced the development of nuclear weapons in 2005, and conducted its first test in 2006. In 2012, the country declared itself a nuclear power and made corresponding amendments to the Constitution. IN Lately North Korea conducts a lot of tests - the country has intercontinental ballistic missiles and threatens the United States nuclear strike on the American island of Guam, which is located 4 thousand km from the DPRK.
Year of first test: 2006
Nuclear charge carriers: nuclear bombs and missiles
Number of warheads: 10−20 (in reserve)
These 8 countries openly declare the presence of weapons, as well as the tests being carried out. The so-called “old” nuclear powers (USA, Russia, UK, France and China) signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, while the “young” nuclear powers - India and Pakistan refused to sign the document. North Korea first ratified the agreement and then withdrew its signature.
Who can develop nuclear weapons now?
The main "suspect" is Israel. Experts believe Israel has nuclear weapons own production from the late 1960s - early 1970s. There were also opinions that the country conducted joint tests with South Africa. According to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute, Israel has about 80 nuclear warheads as of 2017. The country can use fighter-bombers and submarines to deliver nuclear weapons.
Suspicions that Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction, was one of the reasons for the invasion of the country by American and British troops (recall the famous speech of US Secretary of State Colin Powell at the UN in 2003, in which he stated that Iraq was working on programs to create biological and chemical weapons and possesses two of the three necessary components for the production of nuclear weapons. — Approx. TUT.BY). Later, the US and UK admitted that there were reasons for the invasion in 2003.
Was under international sanctions for 10 years Iran due to the resumption of the uranium enrichment program in the country under President Ahmadinejad. In 2015, Iran and six international mediators concluded the so-called “nuclear deal” - they were withdrawn, and Iran pledged to limit its nuclear activities only a “peaceful atom”, putting it under international control. With Donald Trump coming to power in the United States, Iran was reintroduced. Tehran, meanwhile, began.
Myanmar in recent years, it has also been suspected of attempting to create nuclear weapons; it was reported that technology was exported to the country by North Korea. According to experts, Myanmar lacks the technical and financial capabilities to develop weapons.
IN different years many states were suspected of seeking or capable of creating nuclear weapons - Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Libya, Mexico, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Taiwan, Sweden. But the transition from a peaceful atom to a non-peaceful one either was not proven, or the countries curtailed their programs.
Which countries allowed to store nuclear bombs and which refused?
Some European countries store US warheads. According to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) in 2016, 150-200 US nuclear bombs are stored in underground storage facilities in Europe and Turkey. Countries have aircraft capable of delivering charges to intended targets.
Bombs are stored at air bases in Germany(Büchel, more than 20 pieces), Italy(Aviano and Gedi, 70−110 pieces), Belgium(Kleine Brogel, 10−20 pieces), the Netherlands(Volkel, 10−20 pieces) and Turkey(Incirlik, 50−90 pieces).
In 2015, it was reported that the Americans would deploy the latest B61-12 atomic bombs at a base in Germany, and American instructors were training Polish and Baltic Air Force pilots to operate these nuclear weapons.
The United States recently announced that it was negotiating the deployment of its nuclear weapons, where they were stored until 1991.
Four countries voluntarily renounced nuclear weapons on their territory, including Belarus.
After the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine and Kazakhstan were in third and fourth place in the world in terms of the number of nuclear arsenals in the world. The countries agreed to the withdrawal of weapons to Russia under international security guarantees. Kazakhstan transferred strategic bombers to Russia, and sold uranium to the United States. In 2008, the country's President Nursultan Nazarbayev was nominated for Nobel Prize world for its contribution to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Ukraine in recent years there has been talk of restoring the country's nuclear status. In 2016, the Verkhovna Rada proposed repealing the law “On Ukraine’s accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.” Previously Secretary of the Council national security Ukraine's Alexander Turchynov stated that Kyiv is ready to use available resources to create effective weapons.
IN Belarus ended in November 1996. Subsequently, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko more than once called this decision the most serious mistake. In his opinion, “if there were nuclear weapons left in the country, they would be talking to us differently now.”
South Africa is the only country that independently produced nuclear weapons, and after the fall of the apartheid regime voluntarily abandoned them.
Who curtailed their nuclear programs
A number of countries voluntarily, and some under pressure, either curtailed or abandoned their nuclear program at the planning stage. For example, Australia in the 1960s after providing its territory for nuclear tests Great Britain decided to build reactors and build a uranium enrichment plant. However, after internal political debates, the program was curtailed.
Brazil after unsuccessful cooperation with Germany in the field of nuclear weapons development in the 1970–90s, it conducted a “parallel” nuclear program outside the control of the IAEA. Work was carried out on the extraction of uranium, as well as on its enrichment, albeit at the laboratory level. In the 1990s and 2000s, Brazil recognized the existence of such a program, and it was later closed. The country now has nuclear technology, which, if a political decision is made, will allow it to quickly begin developing weapons.
Argentina began its development in the wake of rivalry with Brazil. The program received its greatest boost in the 1970s when the military came to power, but by the 1990s the administration had changed to a civilian one. When the program was terminated, experts estimated that about a year of work remained to achieve the technological potential of creating nuclear weapons. As a result, in 1991, Argentina and Brazil signed an agreement on the use of nuclear energy exclusively for peaceful purposes.
Libya under Muammar Gaddafi after unsuccessful attempts to acquire ready weapon China and Pakistan decided on their own nuclear programs. In the 1990s, Libya was able to purchase 20 centrifuges for uranium enrichment, but a lack of technology and qualified personnel prevented the creation of nuclear weapons. In 2003, after negotiations with the UK and the US, Libya curtailed its weapons of mass destruction program.
Egypt abandoned the nuclear program after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Taiwan carried out his developments for 25 years. In 1976, under pressure from the IAEA and the United States, it officially abandoned the program and dismantled the plutonium separation facility. However, he later resumed nuclear research in secret. In 1987, one of the leaders of the Zhongshan Institute of Science and Technology fled to the United States and spoke about the program. As a result, work was stopped.
In 1957 Switzerland created a Commission to study the possibility of possessing nuclear weapons, which came to the conclusion that weapons were necessary. Options were considered for purchasing weapons from the USA, Great Britain or the USSR, as well as developing them with France and Sweden. ABOUT However, by the end of the 1960s the situation in Europe had calmed down, and Switzerland signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Then for some time the country supplied nuclear technologies abroad.
Sweden has been actively developing since 1946. Her distinctive feature was the creation of nuclear infrastructure, the country's leadership was focused on the implementation of the concept of a closed nuclear fuel cycle. As a result, by the end of the 1960s Sweden was ready for serial production nuclear warheads. In the 1970s, the nuclear program was closed because... the authorities decided that the country would not be able to cope with simultaneous development modern species conventional weapons and the creation of a nuclear arsenal.
South Korea began its development in the late 1950s. In 1973, the Weapons Research Committee developed a 6-10 year plan to develop nuclear weapons. Negotiations were held with France on the construction of a plant for radiochemical processing of irradiated nuclear fuel and the release of plutonium. However, France refused to cooperate. In 1975, South Korea ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The United States promised to provide the country with a “nuclear umbrella.” After American President Carter announced his intention to withdraw troops from Korea, the country secretly resumed its nuclear program. The work continued until 2004, when it became public knowledge. South Korea has curtailed its program, but today the country is capable of short time carry out the development of nuclear weapons.