Eighty years at the nuclear brink
2025-07-24
Eighty years ago, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ushered in the nuclear age with weapons of previously unimagined destructive power. Since then, an arms race led to a global inventory of 70,000 nuclear weapons, followed by a period of arms control that brought the number down to almost 12,000 today. Despite this tremendous achievement, nuclear arms still figure prominently in global crises. The world is in desperate need of both short-term nuclear risk reduction and a longer-term vision for enduring peace and stability.