OPINION: Consequences of Promoting a New Class of Nuclear Weaponry

Posted by African Examiner Articles/Opinion, Featured Contributors/Columnists, Latest Headlines Friday, March 2nd, 2018

By Prof. R. A. Ipinyomi, University of Ilorin, Nigeria

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – On Thursday 1st March, 2018 President Vladimir Putin of Russia announced that his country was advancing in developing invisible new class of Nuclear weapons, with unlimited capability. This was supposed to be part of his campaign in his efforts to securing another term of six years. The announcement might have improved his domestic rating among Russian voters, in a campaign where President Putin has no visible opponents. We think he is sure to win the election at the end of this month and stay on as the President of Russia for another 6 years. Hence why this additional robust and bluffing announcement of what most spying countries on Russia military advancements already knew? Had he factored in the domestic and international priorities of even the ordinary Russians he is supposed to be working for? Is President Putin simply further protecting Russia or raising the arm race thereby promoting a new war? Why the announcement now? What are the short term consequences?

The world is looking for “a nuclear power attack on global economic mysteries and woes” and Russians are by no means immune. Russian people are equally facing their shares of a blickling economic future, caused by the likes of Putin and his policies to blindly be competing with the western world, wrongly annexing part of Ukraine, all at the expense of developing the economy, infrastructure and people of Russia. Of course Russia is a big country and would need a big defensive system but not at the expense of human development. The socioeconomic inequalities in Russia is intolerable for us to support her attempt at racing nuclear warfare further. First find and fight a war against the economic downturn and inequalities in Russia.

Hence we suspect that President Putin’s idea is to raise a debate rather than the so called invisible nuclear weapons other countries like the USA under President Obama had disclosed. Russian’s research on such a programme may be at advanced stages. This gives enough room for friends of Russia to advise them on proper priority rather than simply extending more funds on programmes like nuclear weapons that may never really be used. Anti-nuclear weapon campaigners had been warning on the futility of the system where a single mistake can wipe out the very country pilling up the weapons.

Currently the world is witnessing unprecedented era of erratic presidents in North Korea, USA, even Putin himself also. The chances of having a nuclear war soon is therefore becoming higher because of the low class of politicians that are behaving as if they have no knowledge of war history or of international agreements. At the time the USA under President Trump is building new economic barriers, attempting to sulfurcate economically developing countries and including Russia, the President of Russia seems more interested at mere ego boosting. President Putin really thinks that he could bring back the old USSR. President Obama had laid a bigger than what President Putin had just announced for Russia on Thursday. President Obama ‘ s plan (a 20-year advancement defence plan for the USA) would be hard to surpass even by a Donald Trump that is only an American president. If President Putin had wanted to be a relevant world politician in this 21st century he would have joined the rest of us to fight the last war, a war that would end all wars.

Unable to recognize the global socioeconomic, health and all challenges facing humanity the United Nations and others have described it as simply climatic change. The problem facing humanity is primarily hunger, disease, ignorance, greed, and all classes of inequalities. President Putin was supposed to know better than escalating ordinarily the arm race; coming from a background of communism and a system designed to reduce inequalities and promote egalitarianism and equality. Our message to every government is to see the futility in advancing the arm race for an imaginary future war. In particular we wish that President Putin would be fighting for a legacy after he is returned to office for another six year this March. It is a foolish and an unethical policy for any country to be promoting new war technologies that could kill, destroy or wipe out our planet faster, irrespective of the envisaged opponents.

Prof. R. A. Ipinyomi