Out of Hundreds of Pickles

Approximately one year ago, Barack Obama surprised everyone with his speech in Prague when he imagined himself in a world free of nuclear weapons. That was, and probably still is, far from happening (France already said it is not giving up its atomic arsenal). However, his words were meant to draw attention to one of the most crucial points of the president’s program, which is already beginning to take shape. The subject of complete disarmament has been exploited for decades by the hypocritical propaganda beehives of the communist world. Still, they were not honestly dreaming of a world without nuclear weapons, but were instead trying to match up to the nuclear potential of Western allies. In the attempt to keep up with the armament program, the former USSR simply exhausted its economy.

However, many of the leaders in Washington stayed away from the slippery slope of Utopian hopes and instead chose to turn the blackmail of a potential nuclear war between the two sides into a puzzling criteria for equilibrium. This balance of terror, no matter how precarious it may have been, kept us away from a Third World War. It seemed that, along with the fall of the communist regime, the threat of a nuclear blaze had also faded, especially in the context in which the ideology of economic prosperity became a sort of universal dream for the world village. Even so, first at the edges of this village and then in its central square, homemade terrorist bombs began to explode, marking the renewal of hotbeds of war that had been presumed extinct. These uncontrollable hotbeds of war have already become a global problem, considering the fact that organizations such as al-Qaida and any other fanatical “fraternities” could easily obtain nuclear bombs under the table.

Out of hundreds of global emergencies (the demographic explosion, the crazy financialization of the economy, pollution, the accelerated impoverishment of Third World countries or the economic crisis that is on the verge of causing social explosions, etc.), Obama may have done a good job setting the priority. That is, in four years at the most, countries holding nuclear arsenals or raw material that could serve criminal purposes must ensure maximum control for them. Some of the countries are already committing to dispense of their enriched uranium stocks. Others will completely abandon reactors that could have military potential. Ukraine will also dispense of all its uranium stocks in the next two years. These are all extraordinary commitments, unimaginable two decades ago. Since 1990, there have been reports of over 18 thefts and mysterious disappearances of nuclear materials, many coming from Ukraine and Russia.

It is highly likely that one or even more terrorist organizations have methodical plans to build a bomb and use it. Beyond any conflicting national political interests, rational forces must come together to ensure protection for humanity. It seems that Obama’s message was acknowledged and will be followed. The commitments made in Washington by 36 heads of state and government leaders, as well as by other participating delegations, regarding nuclear nonproliferation marks a crucial moment in history. No rules or constraints have been set, but it is probably for the best. It’s a word of honor given to the nations, in the name of life and fundamental human values. In the end, the United States, the world’s leading nuclear power, is training all the other countries in the process of defining this common responsibility, which also marks the end of the times when the White House would lay bedspreads of bombs before any kind of dialogue. After all, neither Iran nor North Korea will be able to count on their double-edged game, as they have so far. Nor will Israel be able to avoid signing the nonproliferation treaty for much longer, using the excuse that they don’t have a nuclear bomb.

It has been known for a long time that we are perfectly capable of blowing up our planet ten times. Since that hasn’t happened, it must mean that the governments of all the countries holding nuclear weapons have been aware and at the same time responsible in managing the killing potential they have. But it was just a silent agreement, a sort of act of civilization. The series of attacks during the last few decades in New York, Madrid, London, Kabul or Moscow, point to a slide towards the irrational, which definitely needs to be addressed. In order to do that, Obama quickly signed a new START treaty with Russia, enacted a new American nuclear doctrine, and defined a new nonproliferation treaty before this nuclear summit was held. The closeness with Russia and China and all the conflicts that separate him from these countries is part of the price to be payed for this project’s success. Should he be the mediator between India and Pakistan or temper Israel’s intransigence to break off its relations with the Arab world, all the problems raised by Iran or the situation in Afghanistan would soon find a solution.