[World Affairs] Nuclear World?

The UN's nuclear watchdog group, the IAEA has reported that it appears that nearly 30 countries may soon develop nuclear capability.

You know the routine - 5 countries started out as officially having nuclear weapons capability and all signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. These nations were the US, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. Despite that, we've seen more and more nations conduct nuclear research and even testing - a clear sign that the non-proliferation treaty alone is insufficient to stop other countries from getting their hands on this kind of technology.

How do I feel about all this?

Well, here at the Guide, I can't say this is totally unexpected. If there's a will, there's a way, they say. If you really want to stop this kind of thing, we all should have dismantled and turned our backs on all derivations of this technology. Other than that, one can't deny that it does have useful applications and dangerous consequences at the same time. The challenge is always in distinguishing one from the other since nuclear energy development can quickly turn into weapons research before you know it.

Does this make the world potentially less safe? Of course it will. Any Cold War style foray into new weapons being stockpiled, nuclear or otherwise, always escalates the global climate, so to speak. I doubt the IAEA can really put a stop to things - somehow their track record and that of the UN don't really say much in their favor. All we can do for now is cross our fingers and keep watch to see how these developments pan out.