MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENT: Forget nuclear bluster... only getting tougher can curb cruel Putin
These actions, though generally believed to have brought the Second World War to an end, remain highly controversial, not least because of the large number of non-combatant civilians who died of appalling injuries.
American military authorities prevented the publication of some pictures of the aftermath for many years.
Some of the scientists involved in developing the bomb regretted it deeply. Albert Einstein, who had urged President Franklin Roosevelt to embark on the research which led to it, later said this was 'the one great mistake in my life'.
But whatever we think now about President Harry Truman's decision to drop two bombs on Japan, such discoveries cannot be undiscovered.
Several countries, including Britain, concluded that the best response was to build their own bombs, so deterring attack by any other nuclear power. This policy has, on the whole, worked.
The 1961 Cuban missile crisis was defused because both Moscow and Washington had the sense to see that a compromise was better than the end of the world. Both backed down.
Since then, most of us have believed that Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) would deter all but the crazy from taking actions which might lead to the use of nuclear weapons.
The Russians have developed a grim system known as the Dead Hand, which would deliver a shattering nuclear response to an American nuclear strike, even if the Kremlin leadership were all dead in the ruins of an irradiated Moscow.
It was this which former Russian President Dmitri Medvedev was referring to when he recently taunted Donald Trump over his approach to Russia.
And Mr Trump duly rose to the bait, proclaiming that he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be 'positioned in the appropriate regions' in response to what he called the Russian's 'highly provocative' comments.
This is probably bluster. Mr Trump's advisers will have told him that Mr Medvedev is not a significant figure.
And the US Navy always has several of its 12 Ohio-class submarines, equipped with formidably accurate Trident multi-warhead missiles, within striking range of Russia.
Even so, with a war still in Ukraine, it would be unwise to be complacent. MAD may have worked so far but the world is madder than for many years, with Russo-American relations tense, dogged by mutual incomprehension and personally unfriendly.
Mr Trump may be unpredictable and erratic but the root of this problem is Vladimir Putin's cruel and lawless aggression, made worse by despicable bombing attacks on civilians.
Mr Trump is right that it must stop, and it is Mr Putin who must stop it. If he does not, who knows where it might lead?
Russia has relied too long on its nuclear strength to limit the West's response.
The West must now deploy the most severe conventional military, diplomatic and economic means to bring Putin to the negotiating table and to obtain a ceasefire.
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Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Trump imposes extra 25% tariff on Indian goods, ties hit new low
WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI, Aug 6 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil in a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two nations after trade talks reached a deadlock. The new import tax, effective 21 days after August 7, will raise duties on some Indian exports to as high as 50% - among the highest levied on any U.S. trading partner. Trump's executive order imposing the extra tariff did not mention China, which also imports Russian oil. A White House official had no immediate comment on whether an additional order covering those purchases would be forthcoming. Analysts said Trump's move marks the most serious downturn in U.S.-India relations since his return to office in January. The tariffs threaten to disrupt India's access to its largest export market, where shipments totalled nearly $87 billion in 2024, hitting sectors like textiles, footwear, gems and jewelry. It also marks a shift from the warm ties seen during Trump and Modi's February meeting, they said, pointing out Trump's recent remarks calling India's economy "dead", its trade barriers "obnoxious" and accusing the country of profiting from cheap Russian oil while ignoring the killings of Ukrainians in Russia's three-and-a-half-year-old invasion of its neighbour. India's external affairs ministry called the decision 'extremely unfortunate,' noting that many other countries are also importing Russian oil in their national economic interest. "India will take all necessary steps to protect its national interests," it said, adding that purchases were driven by market factors and the energy needs of India's 1.4 billion people. The development comes as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares for his first visit to China in over seven years, suggesting a potential realignment in alliances as relations with Washington fray. Oil prices edged up about 1% on Wednesday after falling to a five-week low in the prior session after Trump penalised India for buying Russian oil and in light of a larger-than-expected U.S. crude storage draw last week. Last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned China that continued Russian oil purchases could trigger new tariffs, as Washington prepares for the expiry of a U.S.-China tariff ceasefire on August 12. Trade between the United States and India - the world's biggest and fifth-largest economies respectively - is worth over $190 billion. Exporters and trade analysts warn that the tariffs - which Trump casts as a driver to reduce U.S. trade deficits and reinvigorate domestic manufacturing - could severely disrupt Indian exports. "This is a severe setback. Nearly 55% of our shipments to the U.S. will be affected,' said S.C. Ralhan, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations. The increased duties place Indian exporters at a 30–35% disadvantage versus trade rivals in Vietnam, Bangladesh and Japan. 'With such obnoxious tariff rates, trade between the two nations would be practically dead,' said Madhavi Arora, economist at Emkay Global. Indian officials acknowledged pressure to return to negotiations with the Trump administration. A phased cut in Russian oil imports and diversification could be a part of the compromise. "We still have a window," said a senior Indian official, requesting anonymity. 'The fact that the new tariffs take effect in 21 days signals the White House is open to talks.' Another official said there were no immediate plans for Modi or senior leaders to travel to Washington, nor were any retaliatory measures being considered. Instead, the government is weighing relief for exporters, including interest subsidies and loan guarantees. A sharp drop in U.S.-bound shipments could drag India's GDP growth below 6% this year, down from the central bank's 6.5% forecast, said Sakshi Gupta of HDFC Bank. India's rupee weakened in offshore non-deliverable forwards market while stock futures fell marginally after the announcement. "While markets have already started pricing in the risk of a sharp tariff hike, a near-term knee-jerk reaction is inevitable unless there's swift clarity or a breakthrough in negotiations," said Mayuresh Joshi, head of equity research for India at Willian O' Neil. Trump's move follows five rounds of inconclusive trade talks, which stalled over U.S. demands for wider access to Indian agriculture and dairy markets. India's refusal to cut Russian oil imports - which hit a record $52 billion last year - ultimately triggered the tariff escalation. U.S. and Indian officials told Reuters a mix of political misjudgement, missed signals and bitterness scuttled trade deal negotiations between the world's biggest and fifth-largest economies, whose bilateral trade is worth over $190 billion.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Experts: US to be locked in nuclear arms race with Russia and China
The US will soon be locked in a three-way nuclear arms race with Russia and China — a scary new chapter in global brinkmanship that experts say is far more complicated and dangerous than the two-sided Cold War standoff with the Soviet Union. For decades, the balance of terror rested on a relatively simple formula: Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) between Washington and Moscow. But now, Beijing's stunning nuclear build-up is reshaping the strategic landscape — and the old rules no longer apply. The numbers are sobering. China is on track to quadruple its nuclear arsenal by the early 2030s, racing toward a stockpile of 1,500 warheads, many mounted on ultra-fast hypersonic glide missiles designed to dodge US defenses. Beijing has also been constructing dozens of mysterious underground silo s across its western deserts, sparking fears of a rapid-launch capability on par with America's own. Russia, meanwhile, already possesses the world's largest nuclear stockpile, and Vladimir Putin shows no signs of slowing down. Moscow is even developing an underwater nuclear drone capable of triggering tsunamis. Worse still for America: Moscow and Beijing are cozying up. Their self-proclaimed 'no limits' partnership was on full display this week in the Sea of Japan , where their destroyers staged joint mock combat drills. The challenge facing the US is immense. Eric Edelman, the vice chair of the National Defense Strategy Commission, a nonpartisan advisory panel created by Congress, called it a seemingly insurmountable 'three-body problem'. 'How can one nuclear power simultaneously deter two nuclear peers?' he asks. Pentagon officials are grappling with this unnerving new reality, where established principles of deterrence, crisis stability, and arms control become exponentially more complex when three roughly equal actors are involved. A 2023 congressional strategy commission warned that the shift to a three-way race represented 'an existential challenge for which the US is ill-prepared, unless its leaders make decisions now to adjust the strategic posture.' For some, it's time for America to rearm and prepare for a looming Sino-Russian nuclear decapitation strike. Others argue that a three-way race is the road to the apocalypse — and only universal disarmament can save mankind. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) laid bare the threat in June. Its annual report confirmed that all nine nuclear-armed states are expanding their arsenals and walking away from arms control agreements. Members of the nuclear-armed club — the US, Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel — plan to increase stockpiles amid rising geopolitical tensions, SIPRI expert Hans Kristensen reported. He warned of a 'clear trend of growing nuclear arsenals, sharpened nuclear rhetoric, and the abandonment of arms control agreements.' SIPRI said Russia and the US — which together possess around 90 percent of all nuclear weapons — kept their stockpile sizes stable in 2024, but are both extensively modernizing and could increase the size of their arsenals in the future. The fastest-growing arsenal is China's, with Beijing adding about 100 new warheads per year since 2023 . By the end of the decade, China could have as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as either Russia or the US SIPRI's estimates place Russia and the US at approximately 5,459 and 5,177 nuclear warheads respectively, while China holds around 600 — more than enough to wipe out humanity and collapse the planet's ecosystems. In January, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved its Doomsday Clock one second closer to midnight, warning that humanity is now the closest it has ever been to a catastrophic event that could imperil all of civilization. The threat of nuclear Armageddon became painfully clear in recent days during a war of words between US President Donald Trump and former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev, now a hawkish online provocateur, boasted of Russia's Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities. Trump hit back at his 'highly provocative statements' and said he had ordered two US nuclear submarines to reposition in response. On Monday, Russia declared it no longer considers itself bound by a self-imposed moratorium on the deployment of nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles — the latest in a long line of rejections of arms control norms. The main nuclear arms control deal between the US and Russia, the New START treaty, is due to expire in 2026 . A successor now appears unlikely, as Moscow continues to threaten the use of battlefield nukes in Ukraine. Trump, during his first term, invited China to join trilateral nuclear arms reduction talks — but Beijing was reluctant, citing its comparatively smaller arsenal. Any such talks now appear to be a distant prospect. With no binding agreements in place, the three-way race is spiraling into a free-for-all. Even worse, the US is struggling to keep up. Its nuclear arsenal is decades old. Modernization is underway, but painfully slow, plagued by cost overruns and bureaucratic delays. Warhead production facilities are outdated and bottlenecked, unable to quickly scale production if needed. Pentagon planners are increasingly worried about a nightmare scenario in which Russia strikes in Europe while China invades Taiwan. If both adversaries act in tandem or coordination, the US could face an unprecedented dilemma: how to respond to two simultaneous nuclear threats with a single command system, a finite arsenal, and mere minutes to make potentially world-ending decisions. Emerging technologies make this scenario even more terrifying. Hypersonic weapons from Russia or China could arrive before US defenses can even detect them. Artificial intelligence, cyberattacks, and space-based weapons are rewriting the rules of deterrence — a game that once had predictable red lines. Edelman says Russia and China could even be preparing for a joint surprise strike to 'decapitate' America's leadership — including the president and top military commanders — before it can retaliate. The two powers are rapidly developing anti-satellite systems, cyberweapons , and hypersonic delivery vehicles that can evade US missile defenses. Upgrading America's aging command and control systems is the 'first order of business', Edelman says. Strategic weapons experts Mark Schneider and Keith Payne, from the National Institute for Public Policy, warned in a recent report that the US has already fallen dangerously behind — and should ditch New START and rapidly catch up. They called for an immediate 'nuclear upload' — adding multiple warheads to 400 land-based Minuteman III ICBMs and to the Navy's submarine-launched missiles. This, they argue, is the 'only way America can adequately enhance the force size and flexibility needed to tailor deterrence in the near term for the prevention of great power conflict.' Some experts argue a three-way nuclear race can only end in disaster — and that rapid global disarmament is the only hope. Others believe the MAD theory still holds: that despite the saber-rattling, none of the three powers would dare pull the trigger. But unlike the Cold War, there are no red phones, no predictable deterrence models, and no second chances. One miscalculation — a false alarm, a misunderstood missile test, a flashpoint over Taiwan or Ukraine — could trigger global catastrophe within minutes. Speaking at a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, warned of deepening global divisions and an 'even more challenging' nuclear threat landscape today. 'That is exactly why we must make all-out efforts to bring about a world without nuclear war and a world without nuclear weapons,' he said at a wreath laying in the city where 140,000 perished in the August 1945 blast. As the Cold War fades into history, a new, more chaotic, and potentially catastrophic nuclear era is dawning — and America finds itself caught in the middle. This is no ordinary arms race. It's a three-way sprint to the edge of annihilation.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
‘Apocalyptic' pictures of Gaza's devastation echo the destruction of the Hiroshima bomb 80 years on
As shocking new images of Gaza's flattened landscape smothered in ash and dust emerge, the world is pausing to remember another conflict that produced widespread devastation: the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. On 6 August 1945, 'Little Boy' was unleashed on the Japanese city by the United States, vaporizing tens of thousands of people in seconds and killing upwards of 140,000 over the months that followed. Japan surrendered soon after, ending World War II. On the 80th anniversary of the blast, human rights organisations and Japanese activists from Hiroshima alike have voiced their fears about Gaza and that the lessons of the past have still not been learned. 'When images of Gaza are placed alongside those of Hiroshima 80 years ago, the parallels are striking,' said Kristyan Benedict, the UK's crisis response manager for Amnesty International, told The Independent. 'Like Hiroshima, the devastation in Gaza is apocalyptic - entire families wiped out, children buried beneath rubble, and hospitals and schools reduced to dust.' Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa told The Independent that one of her colleagues had recently been in Rafah, an area of southern Gaza which has been largely razed to the ground by Israeli bombardment. 'She drove to get out of Gaza by Arafat in the south, and she said that Rafah looked like Hiroshima. I asked her if she had photos of Rafah, and she said they were not allowed to take any photos. But then we both Googled photos from Hiroshima, and she said: 'That's exactly how [Rafah] looks like today'.' Israel maintains that Hamas is responsible for both the war - that began after around 1,200 people were killed and around more 250 abducted by the terror group on 7 October 2023 - and the scale of the destruction in Gaza. When asked about the 'levelling' of Gaza in a recent Sky News interview, a spokesman for the Israeli government said: 'We regard any harm to civilians as a tragedy, while this terrorist organisation of Hamas, it is their strategy. They endanger innocent people and they use them as human shields. Israel, by contrast, makes every effort to prevent and minimise as much as possible harm to civilian population including evacuating civilians from combat areas.' Thousands of miles away in Hiroshima, fears about Gaza's future were shared at an event to mark the anniversary on Wednesday. "No Nuke, Stop War" and "Free Gaza! No more genocide" read some of the slogans held by hundreds of protestors who demonstrated outside the Peace Memorial Park, where prime minister Shigeru Ishiba attended an official ceremony. A Palestinian representative also joined the event for the first time. Around 55,000 people, including representatives from a record 120 countries and regions - including Russia and Belarus -were set to attend. The city held a minute of silence as a peace bell rang out at 8:15am, the same time a US B-29 dropped the bomb on the city. Hiroshima's mayor Kazumi Matsui warned against a growing acceptance of using nuclear weapons for national security during Russia's war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East, with the United States and Russia possessing most of the world's nuclear warheads. 'These developments flagrantly disregard the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history,' he said. 'They threaten to topple the peacebuilding frameworks so many have worked so hard to construct.' In June, Israel launched 'Operation Rising Lion' with attacks on Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile facilities in a bid to scupper any attempt by Tehran to develop a weapon of mass destruction. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly raised fears about what would happen if Iran had access to nuclear weapons and the devastation they would bring. Some Hiroshima survivors said on Wednesday they were disappointed by Donald Trump's recent remark justifying Washington's own attack on Iran in June by comparing it to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 'It's ridiculous," said Kosei Mito, a 79-year-old former high school teacher who was exposed to radiation while he was still in his mother's womb. 'I don't think we can get rid of nuclear weapons as long as it was justified by the assailant.' In the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV said Wednesday he was praying for those who suffered physical, psychological and social effects from the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, adding that the event remains 'a universal warning against the devastation caused by wars and, in particular, by nuclear weapons.'
