Technology, the Arms Race and Disarmament

Abstract

Scientists and physicians have made in recent years a great effort to educate and finally convince the men at the helm that a nuclear war would be suicide for all. When the leaders of the superpowers met in Geneva in 1985 they formally acknowledged this when they agreed that ‘A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought’. Implicit in this phrase is that nuclear weapons are of no use as military instruments for waging war. Nevertheless an important role is still assigned to them, namely to deter their use by the adversary. A sufficient number of nuclear weapons must be maintained in the arsenals, so that — if attacked — enough will survive to ensure inflicting unacceptable damage in a retaliatory attack. This is the strategy of deterrence, the corner-stone of the security policy of many states.