Hiroshima & Nagasaki: A Memory That Must Not Fade #Hiroshima#Nagasaki#nuclear blackmail#nuclear bombing#nuclear deterrence#nuclear weapons#Russia#terorrism
In August 1945, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were devastated by the first—and so far only—use of nuclear weapons in war. Over 200,000 lives were lost, many instantly, others slowly through radiation sickness and long-term suffering. The bombings marked the end of World War II, but they also opened a terrifying chapter in human history: the nuclear age.
Eighty years later, the shadow of that moment still looms. While the Cold War has passed, the threat of nuclear conflict has not. Rising geopolitical tensions, modernization of arsenals, and the erosion of arms control agreements remind us that the danger remains real.
For 80 years, we have lived in an era in which nuclear weapons were a deterrent tool to deter potential aggressors from trying to destroy a defending country. Today, 9 countries around the world have nuclear weapons. Since the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, these weapons have never been used.
From nuclear deterrence to nuclear blackmail and terrorism
Today, we are on the threshold of a new era. From nuclear deterrence, we are moving into an era of nuclear blackmail and terrorism. Religious and other fanatics are trying to get their hands on nuclear weapons. An imperialist superpower with significant elements of the Nazi regime threatens nuclear bombing of our cities virtually every day through the mouths of high state officials. Not to deter us from attacking. They are the ones who attack and want to gain respect, obedience and consent to their imperialist expansion.
The criminal regime embarked on a senseless war of aggression with the aim of subjugating its neighbor. When he cannot win it, he systematically threatens with nuclear weapons both those who resist and those who support them in accordance with the UN Charter. The lunatics in the Kremlin believe that a limited nuclear war is possible and they would win it. And they try to convince others of this. Their state television spreads hateful Nazi ideology every week and prepares viewers for a „victorious“ nuclear cataclysm.
We do not know whether humanity will be able to deal with the era of nuclear blackmail and whether it will survive it at all. Thus, this anniversary is not only a time to mourn—it is a call to remember, to reflect, and to recommit to peace. The survivors, the hibakusha, have long urged the world: “Never again.” Their voices must guide us as we navigate a world where the power to destroy humanity still exists.
Foto: Stanley Troutman, via Associated Press
NASPAŤ