Current Events > U.S abstains from UN's Nuclear Disarmament resolution

(+) Yeah! (+)

A U.N. committee on Friday voted to adopt a Japan-sponsored resolution calling for the total elimination of nuclear arms, again passing it with majority support, but the United States abstained for the second year in a row.

This year's resolution is considered weaker than the previous year as it dropped an expression of "deep concern at the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons use."

Japan has proposed a similar resolution for the past 26 years. Although the latest resolution makes no reference to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in apparent consideration of the United States -- which opposes the framework and provides security assurances to Japan under its so-called nuclear umbrella -- Washington did not lend its support.

In the vote, 148 countries supported the resolution, 12 fewer than last year. Of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, Britain and France backed the resolution while China and Russia opposed it, with the United States abstaining.

The resolution comes ahead of the U.N. review conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty next year.

Also passed by the U.N. General Assembly's First Committee on disarmament issues was a resolution urging U.N. member states to join the nuclear weapons ban treaty, which was adopted in 2017 and has been ratified by 33 of the 50 necessary state parties it requires to take effect.

But Japan, the sole country to have suffered the devastation of atomic bombings, opposed the resolution.

Despite growing calls for the abolition of nuclear arms, there is a significant gap between the position of nuclear powers and states pushing for the treaty.

Full Article: https://japantoday.com/category/politics/update1-u.n.-panel-adopts-japan's-anti-nuke-resolution-u.s.-abstains

https://i.imgur.com/fvtIxJzr.jpg

You know you're in good company when you're with China and Russia
---

I'm sure Trump consulted with Putin beforehand...
---

Nuclear weapons are the greatest peacekeeping device the world has ever invented.

Trelve posted...

Nuclear weapons are the greatest peacekeeping device the world has ever invented.

Yeah sure helped keep the peace in Hiroshima.

Guarantee that no one there is fighting any wars
---

UnfairRepresent posted...

Trelve posted...

Nuclear weapons are the greatest peacekeeping device the world has ever invented.

Yeah sure helped keep the peace in Hiroshima.

Guarantee that no one there is fighting any wars

No, it's actually true. Nuclear deterrence is one of the main reasons why there are only proxy wars now.

EDIT: Just for sake of argument, I have taken this from the wikipedia on deterrence regarding some key arguments against deterrence theory:

"First, it is argued that suicidal or psychotic opponents may not be deterred by either forms of deterrence.[16] Second, if two enemy states both possess nuclear weapons, Country X may try to gain a first-strike advantage by suddenly launching weapons at Country Y, with a view to destroying its enemy's nuclear launch silos thereby rendering Country Y incapable of a response. Third, diplomatic misunderstandings and/or opposing political ideologies may lead to escalating mutual perceptions of threat, and a subsequent arms race that elevates the risk of actual war, a scenario illustrated in the movies WarGames (1983) and Dr. Strangelove (1964). An arms race is inefficient in its optimal output, as all countries involved expend resources on armaments that would not have been created if the others had not expended resources, a form of positive feedback. Fourth, escalation of perceived threat can make it easier for certain measures to be inflicted on a population by its government, such as restrictions on civil liberties, the creation of a militaryindustrial complex, and military expenditures resulting in higher taxes and increasing budget deficits."
---

darkzero297 posted...

UnfairRepresent posted...

Trelve posted...

Nuclear weapons are the greatest peacekeeping device the world has ever invented.

Yeah sure helped keep the peace in Hiroshima.

Guarantee that no one there is fighting any wars

No, it's actually true. Nuclear deterrence is one of the main reasons why there are only proxy wars now.

Citation needed
---

UnfairRepresent posted...

Citation needed

How many world wars have we had since we used a nuke?

---

nativengine posted...

UnfairRepresent posted...

Citation needed

How many world wars have we had since we used a nuke?

https://youtu.be/fm2W0sq9ddU
---