International Nuclear Weapons Ban

In order to prevent a distructive third world war, I think nuclear weapons should be banned world wide. There's a lot of talk about why North Korea or Iran should not have nuclear weapons, but I think nobody, not even the United States or Russia should have them. I think the nations of the world should agree to an international treaty to dismantle and destroy their nuclear arsonals and never rebuild them. A large scale nuclear exchange could kill hundreds of millions and prehaps billions of people and it could set civilization back generations. With the current state of the world, I think it's very important to take nuclear weapons out of the equation and it is especially important for the biggest nuclear powers, the United States and Russia to stand down and take steps to prevent a nuclear exchange. I don't think any nation should have the power to destroy civilization. An international nuclear weapons ban treaty is an important step toward preventing a highly distructive third world war and toward promoting world peace and cooperation. I realize that nations won't want to give up their nuclear weapons, but in the interest of world peace, I think it is very important that they do.

Gordon,
that has been a dream for a long time. And there have been former Presidents that have expressed that view. Giving up those "toys of death" will not happen easily. It will become, "you give up yours and then we'll give up ours." How likely is that? Simultaneous disarmanment is the only way it can work. That is where the UN could play a role in monitoring and controlling it.

Yes, I agree, nobody will be willing to give up their nuclear weapons unless everybody else does too. It would be nessacary for an international agency like the UN to moniter, verify, and enforce the disarmerment. Countries like Russia and China have hundreds and thousands of nuclear bombs, but I don't think they'll get rid of them unless the United States also gets rid of its nuclear arsonal. It is, in my opinion, very important to take the nuclear option off the table. I think the world would be much better off without nuclear weapons.

You are right, of course, but any country, including Russia and China, would be crazy to give up their nuclear weapons before the United States does the same. They are not crazy and they have memories that remind them what country it was that used atomic bombs on enemy cities.

And the United States won't give up its nuclear weapons unless countries like Russia and China give up theirs. For an international nuclear weapons ban to work, all nuclear powers will have to give up their nuclear weapons at the same time.