Nuclear Arms Race Since 1945 - part 2

1. Summarize the basic argument for and the basic argument against nuclear weapons.    



The basic argument for nuclear weapons is that they help preserve the peace and U.S. security and also that deterrence continues to protect the U.S. from aggression. The basic argument against nuclear weapons is that their very existence threatens all of humanity and also that deterrence cannot be relied upon to preserve the safety of nations.

2. What is the difference between a strategic and a tactical nuclear weapon?      

The difference between strategic nuclear weapons and tactical nuclear weapons is that strategic ones are long-range and can hit targets a lot farther away and tactical ones are short-range and are usually things like land mines.       

3. What is nuclear proliferation?      

Nuclear proliferation is the spread of nuclear weapons such as other countries creating nuclear weapons.      

4. What role has the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty played in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons?          

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has played a role in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons by having nations not give any nuclear weapons or nuclear weapons technology to any non-nuclear weapons state and to reduce their nuclear weapons stock piles.

5. Explain Secretary of State Rice's high level of concern about the Russian nuclear arsenal. (See her quote on page 16 of your reading.)      

Secretary of State Rice's high level of concern about the Russian nuclear arsenal is that they don't know if their facilities are well secured or not and there are many possibilities of what could happen to them.

6. How was the threat of terrorism changed thinking about nuclear weapons?

The threat of terrorism was changed thinking about nuclear weapons because there are many ways that a terrorist could get hold of a nuclear weapon or worse, create one and how they would use it, we really don't know. It is not likely that they would use military ways of using it. They would probably smuggle it into the U.S. and that is why are security has tightened but we are still vulnerable. Terrorists seem more scary today than ever because of nuclear weapons.