80 Years of Hiroshima

Syllabus: GS2/ International Relation

In News

• On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy,” on Hiroshima, marking the first use of nuclear weapons in warfare.

About

• The incident serves as a stark reminder of the unprecedented devastation wrought by nuclear weapons and underscores the urgent global call for nuclear disarmament. 
• The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki not only ended World War II but also ushered in the nuclear age—shaping international politics, security doctrines, and peace efforts for the next eight decades.

How things rolled thereafter: the nuclear arms race?

• Cold War & Arms Buildup: USSR tested its first nuke in 1949, triggering a dangerous arms race. The world saw the development of hydrogen bombs, ICBMs, and mutually assured destruction (MAD) as the doctrine of deterrence.
  • This deterrence principle held that any nuclear attack would provoke overwhelming retaliation, guaranteeing total annihilation of both attacker and defender.
• Establishment of IAEA: In response to the growing danger, 1957 saw the formation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and prevent diversion for military purposes.
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962): Nearly pushed the world into nuclear war. 
• Proliferation: More nations joined the nuclear club — UK (1952), France (1960), China (1964), and later India (1974), Pakistan (1998), and North Korea (2006). 
• India’s Position: India maintains a No First Use (NFU) policy and emphasizes credible minimum deterrence. Refuses to sign the NPT on grounds of nuclear apartheid.

Major Treaties & Efforts at Disarmament

• Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), 1968: Aims to prevent spread of nuclear weapons. The treaty has three pillars: Non-proliferation, disarmament, and peaceful use of nuclear energy.
  • It has been criticized for being discriminatory and recognized NWS (Nuclear Weapon States) are not held to the same disarmament obligations.
• Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), 1996: Prohibits all nuclear explosions. Not in force as key nations (including the US, China, India, Pakistan) haven’t ratified it.
• Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), 2017: First legally binding international treaty to completely ban nuclear weapons. Opposed by all nuclear-armed states.
• Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties (START & New START): Bilateral US-Russia agreements to cap deployed nuclear warheads. New START expires in 2026; future is uncertain due to geopolitical tensions.

Why Disarmament Still Matters: The Need for Urgency

• Modernization of Arsenals: Nations are modernizing, not dismantling their nuclear weapons (e.g., US, China, Russia, India).
• Nuclear Terrorism Risk: With unstable regimes and terrorist groups, risk of non-state actors accessing nuclear material is growing.
• Environmental Catastrophe: A full-scale nuclear exchange could trigger nuclear winter, leading to mass starvation and ecological collapse.
• Erosion of Norms: The nuclear taboo is weakening as disarmament talks stagnate and strategic competition rises.

Source: TOI