Do Nuclear Weapons Still Matter? Part 1 - Ukraine & Asia | Ep043 Frontlines & Faultlines скачать в хорошем качестве

Do Nuclear Weapons Still Matter? Part 1 - Ukraine & Asia | Ep043 Frontlines & Faultlines

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Dr Mike Kelly is joined by Ramesh Thakur, former UN Assistant Secretary-General and one of the world’s most respected voices on nuclear arms control, deterrence, and global governance, to examine a question at the centre of today’s strategic instability: What do nuclear weapons actually do — and what don’t they do — in modern conflict? Drawing on decades of experience inside the United Nations and deep engagement with nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, Thakur challenges some of the core assumptions of the nuclear age. While nuclear weapons are often credited with preventing great-power war, recent conflicts suggest a more uncomfortable reality — one in which nuclear arsenals inject caution, but fail to prevent violence, coercion, or escalation below the nuclear threshold. The discussion begins with Ukraine, where Russia’s nuclear arsenal neither prevented war nor stopped Ukraine from resisting, nor Western states from steadily increasing military support. Nuclear threats have shaped the tempo and tone of the conflict, but they have not dictated outcomes — exposing the limits of deterrence when confronted by political ambition and unresolved post–Cold War security dilemmas. The conversation then turns to South Asia, where recent clashes between India and Pakistan offer a revealing contrast. Two nuclear-armed neighbours exchanged military blows without panic or uncontrolled escalation. India’s measured response — proportionate, restrained, and deliberately limited — demonstrates how states increasingly operate under the nuclear shadow rather than being paralysed by it. Across both cases, Thakur argues that nuclear weapons are far less decisive, far less usable, and far less controlling than deterrence theory often suggests. They may constrain extremes, but they do not prevent conventional war, proxy conflict, terrorism, or coercive state behaviour — and may even encourage risk-taking by creating a false sense of immunity. The episode also revisits NATO expansion, Russian security perceptions, and missed opportunities to integrate Russia into a broader European security architecture, insisting on the importance of understanding how adversaries see the world — shaped by history, geography, and insecurity. This is a sober, historically grounded discussion about power, deterrence, and illusion — and a necessary reset for anyone trying to understand why the world feels more dangerous, not less, despite living under the largest nuclear arsenals in history. Part 2 next week continues the conversation, examining escalation risks, conflict termination, and what realistic stability might look like in a fractured global order. Subscribe to our regular YouTube podcast @Dr.MikeKelly 🔗 Follow: Instagram: @Dr.MikeKellyAM X: @MikeKellyofEM Facebook: mike.kelly.819432 LinkedIn: mike-kelly-0336a055 #FrontlinesandFaultlines #DrMikeKelly #Geopolitics #UkraineWar #IndiaPakistan #NuclearDeterrence #GlobalConflict #SecurityPolicy