Win-Win with Liv Boeree #3 - Carl Robichaud: Solving the Nuclear Dilemma
Jun 19, 2023
Carl Robichaud, one of the world’s leading experts on nuclear security, discusses the current risk landscape of nuclear weapons, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and China-Taiwan tensions. He also explores historical moments of potential nuclear war such as the Cuban Missile Crisis. Other topics include the development and power of nuclear weapons, citizen investigations into nuclear weapons, the concept of Molok and the nuclear dilemma, the potential use of blockchain technology in nuclear arms control, and challenges in global problem solving.
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Nuclear Weapons Are Political Tools
- Nuclear threats are as much political and psychological tools as military weapons.
- Putin's nuclear warnings function partly as brinksmanship to coerce Ukraine and NATO.
Cuban Missile Crisis Was The Closest Call
- The Cuban Missile Crisis posed the highest immediate risk despite fewer warheads.
- Some decisions then could have escalated to nuclear use due to hidden tactical weapons.
A Single Officer Stopped A False Launch
- Colonel Stanislav Petrov judged a Soviet early-warning alert to be a false alarm and did not report it as an attack.
- His breach of protocol likely prevented a potentially catastrophic escalation.