Nuclear diplomats in great demand

Please come with own bombs though

The Russian stationing of nuclear weapons in Belarus could have major consequences. We have forgotten how to use these weapons for diplomatic and geopolitical purposes. Without detonating them directly.

A lot of knowledge about nuclear policy has disappeared. “Both at governments and at Think Tanks and universities, fewer and fewer people know what these nuclear weapons are. At the thought of nuclear weapons alone, people shoot in ‘a cramp’. However, that fear reaction could lead to divisions within NATO, he thinks. Nuclear diplomacy must therefore be ‘scaled up’.

Russia decided to deploy Iskander missiles in Belarus last month. ‘These are installations with two missiles on them and they have a range of about 500 kilometres.

That’s the standard version and is kind of the successor to the infamous SCUD missile of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

However, the question is whether the Iskander missiles placed by Russia in Belarus will have that range of 500 kilometers. This will allow the Polish capital Warsaw to be reached. There are also versions that can easily reach 2,000 kilometers. And then you come to central Germany. That science is causing fearful reactions in Europe.

This growing discussion in Europe about nuclear weapons in general and about US nuclear weapons on European territory in particular, could then cause divisions between the US and Europe. If the Russians can ensure that there is a wedge between the US and Europe, then not only will a road be opened for Russia, but a barrier will also be removed for China.

NATO should start thinking more about nuclear diplomacy. We need to talk more about this, think more and develop ideas about it so that we are not surprised. For example, about what weapons should be put against the Russian Iskander missiles in Belarus.

These plans could eventually lead to arms control talks with the Russians. The Russians take that seriously and then they feel taken seriously. There is also deterrence of additional armaments. In the Cold War, we thought about that, but that’s gone now. Now people speak of blackmail when it comes to the Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, but this is just deterrence.

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