Which country will be the next to use a nuclear weapon?
For purposes of this poll, nuclear weapon tests don’t count.
Poll to follow
Either India or Pakistan . It’s a wash which would be the first they both have ultra nationalist parties with their fare share of power.
Non-state terrorist group, North Korea, Pakistan, & Iran in that order.
The US, the folks that brought you " preemtive attacks" (Wanton aggression); " extraordinary rendition"( state sponsored kidnapping);enhanced interrogation (torture) will very soon devise a nice eufemism for “nuking a bunch of third world farmers”(minimal casualty precision anti-insurgency measures?)and remember: nobody has more nukes.
No, you don’t nuke the farmers. You nuke the cities. You use chemical weapons on the farmers.
I honestly think Lil Pudgie is nuts enough to actually wake up in the middle of the night, and push the damned button on South Korea. I honestly think Seoul is going to get pasted.
As far as I can recall North Korea was the last to use a nuclear weapon, and I’m sure will be the next. Iran after that if they develop one.
TriPolar, I think the idea is who’s going to use a nuclear weapon as a weapon. Not TEST one. North Korea obviously has never done that.
It seems to me the USA is the likeliest country to use a nuclear weapon in anger. They have the best and the most, and would probably use one to prevent a country like North Korea from using theirs.
Does “Nuclear Weapon” in this poll mean only the big kaboom type or does the definition include ‘dirty bomb’ radioactive spreading bombs?
The latter is more likely for a non-government group, big badda boom bombs would generally come from a nation state.
Ack! You’re right and it says it in the OP. My bad. In that case it’s probably Israel or Iran depending on who draws first.
Really, you think the country who’s stated vow to never now use them as first strike is more likely than angry, unpredictable states like North Korea and eventually Iran who openly threaten their use? Desire for the ‘Islamic Bomb’ and proliferation to rogue regimes don’t cause you further concern?
Also “nobody has more nukes” is wrong too. Current CNN article and I’m confident more documentation is easily available.
This is not and has never been US policy at any time in the history of the existence of nuclear weapons. The United States has always, quite logically, reserved the right to use nuclear weapons first.
Israel is the only nuclear power that other countries seem stupid enough to attack. There’s no way Iran will have the opportunity to use one before Israel does.
Right, it’s “partial qualified no first use” but still reasoned and defensive. I sure as heck don’t see anything near as reserved from PRNK, Iran, etc.
I’m ashamed at my answer that it just might be my own country. We just can’t seem to mind our own business.
I’m intrigued by the votes for Canada, Sweden, and Switzerland. None of these countries have nukes now, and although each is capable of developing nuclear weapons, none of these countries has shown much interest in doing so.
I doubt the US would use nukes in a first strike, because we have plenty of other weapons to use. We wouldn’t need nuclear weapons at all if we had enough smart weapons with conventional warheads.
Actually all three of those countries have had a nuclear weapon development program at one point.
I voted “non-government group”, based on the assumption that a dirty bomb or a “suitcase nuke” would count. I’m fairly sure we’ll see some fun and games involving strontium-90 blowing through subway tunnels, or something like that, within the next 10 or 15 years.
I don’t think we’ll see a full-blown mushroom cloud any time soon, though.
I think it’ll be a terrorist organization. Them or NK, though it’s questionable as to whether they’ll hit anything with it.
I don’t see the US using them in anything but retaliation. There’s just no need to do so. We can obliterate a country pretty effectively with conventional warheads, and there’s absolutely nothing to be gained by using them first. I honestly don’t even think we’d use them if NK hit us with a nuke. Sure, we COULD, but it could also wipe out SK, and we could just as effectively surgically carpet bomb Pyongyang, taking out every government location and military target known while somewhat minimizing NK civilian casualties (of course there would be many, but far less than with a nuclear strike), and eliminating any threat of collateral damage to Seoul.