The Reckless March of Nuclear Powers: The Erosion of Disarmament and Global Risk

• The world's nine nuclear powers possess approximately 12,100 nuclear warheads and are aggressively upgrading their arsenals.
• Global spending on nuclear weapons hit a record $119 billion in 2025, a 19% year-over-year increase.
• All formal bilateral arms control treaties, including New START, have now expired or collapsed.
• The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has set the "Doomsday Clock" to 85 seconds to midnight, the most dangerous point in its history.

The Nuclear Arms Race

• The nine nuclear-armed states are the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea.
• The U.S. is currently pursuing a $1.7 trillion, multi-decade nuclear weapons buildup.
• Russia and the U.S. collectively hold 86% of global nuclear weapons.
• Russian officials issued 135 nuclear threats between early 2022 and late 2024, including 27 by Vladimir Putin, with similar rhetoric emerging from leaders like Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.

Historical Context and Advocacy

• Since 1945, figures like Edward R. Murrow, the Chicago Tribune, and Albert Camus warned that nuclear weapons posed a threat of "collective suicide."
• Albert Einstein famously stated that "a new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive" the atomic age.
• During the 20th century, mass anti-nuclear mobilization successfully pressured leaders like Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Reagan to pursue arms control measures.

Current Status

• The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), adopted in 2017 and in force since 2021, has been signed by 100 countries.
• None of the nuclear-armed states have signed or adhered to the TPNW, as their leaderships remain largely nationalistic and militaristic.
• Without a major revival of public opposition or the emergence of less hawkish leadership, the momentum toward nuclear catastrophe continues to accelerate, risking an event that would effectively end human civilization.