Who Is Going To Use Nuclear Weapons First?
Will we soon witness the world’s first nuclear war? Following nuclear-armed India’s attack on nuclear-armed Pakistan, media outlets all over the globe quickly published stories about the possibility of nuclear war. In fact, this morning the main headline on the Drudge Report was “WORLD HOLDS BREATH” in all capital letters. Yes, it is entirely possible that a nuclear war could erupt between India and Pakistan. But will someone else use nuclear weapons first?
In the Middle East, a showdown is looming between Israel and Iran. We know that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, and there are some experts that are convinced that the Iranians have also acquired nukes. If an all-out war erupts between Israel and Iran, I have a feeling that both sides will be forced to show what cards they are holding.
If the Iranians do have nukes, they may have gotten them from the North Koreans. If a major war erupts on the Korean peninsula, and that is a very real possibility, the North Koreans would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons.
In Europe, the conflict in Ukraine definitely has the potential to go nuclear. The Ukrainians have targeted Moscow with drone attacks for three days in a row, and they are threatening to attack Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9th. If that happens, we are being warned that Kyiv could be wiped “off the face of the Earth”. Let us hope that the Russians will continue to resist the temptation to use tactical nukes against Ukraine, because if that line is crossed any hope of peace with Russia will be completely gone.
Once one nation breaks the taboo on using nuclear weapons, it will be much easier for other nations to follow suit.
At the moment, the eyes of the world are on India and Pakistan. The government of India says that the goal of their airstrikes was to destroy “terrorist infrastructure” inside Pakistan…
India said it launched missiles targeting “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the divided Himalayan territory that India also controls a section of.
Pakistan’s military said it shot down five Indian aircraft during the attack – a claim unconfirmed by India.
Pakistan said India’s attack killed at least 26 civilians and wounded 46 more. India’s army said at least 10 civilians were killed and 35 injured in cross-border shelling by Pakistani troops in Kashmir.
Following the airstrikes, India’s Defense Ministry released a statement that emphasized that no military facilities in Pakistan were targeted…
“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.”
I think that India was hoping to avoid any additional escalation, but the Pakistanis are furious because a number of mosques were targeted…
In response to Pakistan’s complaint that some of India’s bombs struck mosques, India confirmed that it targeted mosques and madrassas (Islamic religious schools) that were headquarters for “training and indoctrination” by the terrorist groups. The Indian government pointed out that one of the madrassas used as a training camp by LT was funded by Osama bin Laden, the late founder of al-Qaeda and mastermind of the 9/11 attack on America.
Some of India’s targets seemed chosen to make the point that JM, HM, LT, and other terrorist groups are operating openly in Pakistan, with either the indulgence or active support of the government. A few of the targeted facilities were remote terrorist camps hidden in inaccessible terrain, but others were obvious and located near major roads. All of them were large, capable of training hundreds of militants at a time.
If Pakistan strikes back, India will almost certainly respond.
Unfortunately, it appears that is exactly what Pakistan is planning to do…
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered his armed forces to prepare a plan for “self-defense” with “corresponding actions” in order “avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives”. The order was issued after an emergency National Security Commitee (NSC) meeting on Wednesday.
“Pakistan reserves the right to respond, in self-defense, at a time, place, and manner of its choosing to avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives and blatant violation of its sovereignty,” the NSC readout said. “The Armed Forces of Pakistan have duly been authorized to undertake corresponding actions in this regard.”
Pakistan’s Government Security Committee has charged that India has “ignited an inferno in the region”. These do indeed seem to be fighting words.
One of the sides is going to have to back down at some point or else this thing is going to spiral out of control very rapidly.
If a full-blown war erupts, India has a far larger military than Pakistan does…
India outpaces Pakistan in active military personnel: 1.24 million in the army, 149,000 in the air force, and 75,500 in the navy. Pakistan has about 560,000 army troops, 70,000 in the air force, and 30,000 in its navy. India also operates a 13,350-strong coast guard.
A conventional war between India and Pakistan would be truly horrifying, and we are being warned that it could cause a global recession…
A potential war between India and Pakistan could “push the world in to a global recession” in a matter of months, an expert has warned. On Tuesday, India fired a series of missile strikes on Kashmir, with Pakistan vowing to “respond”, triggering fears of an all-out war between the huge nations.
Space race capable India currently hovers around number 5 in the list of the biggest economies in the world, just one place above the UK.