Modern Nuclear War
In the post-Cold War world, awareness of nuclear war has faded into the background—but the threat never went away. Indeed, the risk of nuclear proliferation and use is growing in light of the reemergence of great power conflict, shifting nuclear postures, and the development of new technologies. Collectively, these changes are poised to undermine the stability of nuclear deterrence and increase escalation risks. Nuclear war may not only kill hundreds of millions of people directly, but billions of people indirectly due to subsequent uncertain effects on agriculture. The exchange of hundreds of nuclear warheads may, at its worst, imperil humanity’s existence.
The United States once again needs to make nuclear security a policy priority, in dialogue with both its allies and geopolitical competitors. Together, we must develop new approaches, both technological and political, to minimize the risk of nuclear use—whether deliberate, or by accident and miscalculation.
Further Reading
“U.S. Nuclear Policies for a Safer World” (2021),
Moniz et al. (Nuclear Threat Initiative)
Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety (2013), Eric Schlosser
The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and its Dangerous Legacy (2009), David E. Hoffman
Andy Weber on rendering bioweapons obsolete and ending the new nuclear arms race (2021), 80,000 Hours
Joan Rohlfing on how to avoid catastrophic nuclear blunders (2022), 80,000 Hours
How a small nuclear war would transform the entire planet (2020), Alexandra Witze
Experts see increased risk of nuclear war (2015), Project for the Study of the 21st Century
