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Ahead of the start of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington D.C, US President Barack Obama
congratulated South Africa for showing leadership in being the first country to completely abandon its nuclear bomb programme
. Watching on as President Obama was painting a picture of South Africa as a moral leader when it comes nuclear disarmament, was our own President Zuma
. I could not help but notice that President Zuma seemed to have a wry smile on his face and in my own mind I began to wonder whether the smile meant that President Zuma was simply busking in the glory being bestowed on South Africa, or was it that President Zuma was secretly thinking, well what about you President Obama, when will the USA completely abandon its nuclear bomb programme? We’ll never really know what was on President Zuma’s mind at that point in time however, considering that at the height of South Africa’s nuclear arms programme (under the auspices of the Atomic Energy Corporation), the country could at most assemble only 6 nuclear warheads, President Obama’s praise of South Africa was at best, symbolic and at worst, exaggerated South Africa’s nuclear power.
congratulated South Africa for showing leadership in being the first country to completely abandon its nuclear bomb programme. Watching on as President Obama was painting a picture of South Africa as a moral leader when it comes nuclear disarmament, was our own President Zuma. I could not help but notice that President Zuma seemed to have a wry smile on his face and in my own mind I began to wonder whether the smile meant that President Zuma was simply busking in the glory being bestowed on South Africa, or was it that President Zuma was secretly thinking, well what about you President Obama, when will the USA completely abandon its nuclear bomb programme? We’ll never really know what was on President Zuma’s mind at that point in time however, considering that at the height of South Africa’s nuclear arms programme (under the auspices of the Atomic Energy Corporation), the country could at most assemble only 6 nuclear warheads, President Obama’s praise of South Africa was at best, symbolic and at worst, exaggerated South Africa’s nuclear power.The world needs to get rid of threat of war
While I agree with the notion of South Africa dismantling its nuclear bomb arsenal (an act ordered by then President FW de Klerk
which then came into effect in 1991 when South Africa signed a disarmament treaty with the International Atomic Energy Agency) I wonder about the wisdom of having done so when many countries such as the US continued to hold large arsenals of nuclear warheads. Indeed, recently the US and Russia signed an agreement where both countries agreed to reduce their nuclear bomb arsenals to 1,500 each. Many would argue that the age of nuclear or indeed atomic warfare is behind us, however as long as there are countries that continue to develop and hold nuclear bomb arsenals, the possibility of nuclear war remains, remote as this possibility may be. In my opinion, President Zuma ought to take advantage of the higher moral ground bestowed upon him by President Obama and use this to push for nuclear disarmament by all countries currently harbouring an arsenal. With the US now effectively the only global super power, there remains no threat large enough to warrant the use of a nuclear bomb. To be sure, the world needs more peace but, with some countries continuing to hold on to nuclear bomb arsenals, world peace can never really be completely assured, and this is the argument President Zuma could use in favour of nuclear disarmament.
which then came into effect in 1991 when South Africa signed a disarmament treaty with the International Atomic Energy Agency) I wonder about the wisdom of having done so when many countries such as the US continued to hold large arsenals of nuclear warheads. Indeed, recently the US and Russia signed an agreement where both countries agreed to reduce their nuclear bomb arsenals to 1,500 each. Many would argue that the age of nuclear or indeed atomic warfare is behind us, however as long as there are countries that continue to develop and hold nuclear bomb arsenals, the possibility of nuclear war remains, remote as this possibility may be. In my opinion, President Zuma ought to take advantage of the higher moral ground bestowed upon him by President Obama and use this to push for nuclear disarmament by all countries currently harbouring an arsenal. With the US now effectively the only global super power, there remains no threat large enough to warrant the use of a nuclear bomb. To be sure, the world needs more peace but, with some countries continuing to hold on to nuclear bomb arsenals, world peace can never really be completely assured, and this is the argument President Zuma could use in favour of nuclear disarmament.
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