The Christian Science Monitor

All that nuclear talk: Is the unthinkable suddenly possible?

First, Vladimir Putin raised the prospect of using nuclear weapons to further his aims in the war in Ukraine.

Then North Korea’s Kim Jong Un followed suit, announcing his field inspection of tactical nuclear weapons units. That seemed to confirm a change in nuclear weapons strategy Mr. Kim had hinted at earlier this year – from “no first use” to foreseeing the use of battlefield tactical nuclear weapons.

To many experts, the sudden crescendo in talk of nuclear weapons suggests an epochal shift in perception of the use of nuclear arms from unthinkable – remember Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Christian Science Monitor

The Christian Science Monitor4 min readAmerican Government
Commentary On Columbia: History, Student Protests, And Humanity
There was a political theorist who famously said there are decades when nothing happens, and weeks when decades happen. As someone who writes about history a good bit, I think we should take those decades when “nothing happens” to remember flashpoint
The Christian Science Monitor5 min readAmerican Government
Trump May Lose Immunity Case – But In A Way That Gives Him A Big Win
In the last case to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court this term, the justices once again heard from former President Donald Trump, this time to consider a question that strikes at a foundational principle of American democracy. Just how excepti
The Christian Science Monitor2 min read
Why This Olympics Feels Festive
Soon after Olympic swimmer Lydia Jacoby won her first gold medal in 2021 at the Tokyo Games, she graced the winners’ podium in a white tracksuit, her red hair tied up in a bun and her face hidden – under an N95 mask. Because of COVID-19 restrictions,

Related Books & Audiobooks