Nuclear warheads, in real terms, are actually worthless if one evaluates the assets of a country. It is an axiomatic reality that a nuclear war would be the very last war that might be waged on this planet, given that it will obliterate human civilisation from the face of the Earth. Yet, as revealed in the yearbook by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in the name of “nuclear deterrent” nations continue to add to their collection of nuclear weapons, with billions of dollars being squandered by them in building stockpiles as well as more advanced and sophisticated delivery systems. According to SIPRI, there are 12,241 nuclear warheads globally, spread across nine nuclear-armed countries. Of these, 9,614 are in stockpile while 3,912 have been deployed on submarines, ships and armed forces bases. Most of these belong to the US and Russia, who are the owners of 90 per cent of nuclear warheads worldwide. But China, too, is steadily catching up by engaging in an aggressive buildup – currently, China has as many as 600 nuclear warheads, with 24 deployed. We, too, are aware of at least two nations, Iran and North Korea, attempting to build up their nuclear arsenals – in fact, the ongoing war with Israel has its nuclear ambitions as the primary causative agent, as mirrored by the fact that Iran’s nuclear installations were targeted by Israel in the first strikes.
According to SIPRI, India currently has 180 nuclear warheads as opposed to 170 in Pakistan’s stockpile after India increased its arsenal size in 2025 by adding eight more warheads. Though those who defend the increased nuclearisation of Planet Earth being a necessary evil, claim that in the recent India-Pakistan clash after the Pahalgam massacre, had Pakistan not been armed with nuclear weapons, India’s Operation Sindoor might have been much more lethal, but the ‘Nuke Card’ probably saved the Islamic country, yet to emphasise the deterrent factor would be to try and defend the indefensible. The stark truth is that today, Planet Earth, being in the throes of three major conflicts, is in greater danger of a potential nuclear war breaking out than ever, yet according to the SIPRI report humanity has started re-engaging in the nuclear arms race, spending over $100 billion on their atomic arsenals last year. The new arms race is a sure indication that humanity is once again missing the wood for the trees and endangering the planet despite knowing the worthless nature of their nuclear possessions. Such a development flies in the face of rationality and logic, given that the sensible course would have been the other way, towards gradual denuclearisation of nuclear-empowered nations. But, then, rationality has never been the forte of leaders, and their sights are trained on immediate goals while ignoring the broader and more dangerous possibilities.