The Rachman Review Nuclear weapons and the balance of terror
14 snips
Oct 23, 2025 
Historian Serhii Plokhy, a Harvard professor and author of 'The Nuclear Age', joins the discussion on how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has reshaped our understanding of nuclear threats. He elaborates on nuclear blackmail, the dangers posed by fighting near power plants, and the shifting balance of fear in global politics. Plokhy also shares compelling insights on historical nuclear motivations, espionage’s role in the Soviet bomb development, and the implications of modern risks like cyber threats and the emergence of new nuclear states.
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Nuclear Blackmail Shaped Western Aid
- Russia's nuclear rhetoric in 2022 functioned as effective 'nuclear blackmail' that slowed Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
- That pressure exploited Western uncertainty over Putin's red lines and influenced policy timing and scale.
Power Plants Turned Into Battlefronts
- Russia's occupation of Chernobyl and Zaporizhia created new nuclear risks by turning power sites into war zones.
- Combat, power cuts and onsite decisions can produce accidents or large-scale nuclear disasters.
Balance Of Fear Reasserts Restraint
- The return to a 'balance of fear' reduces unilateral nuclear coercion because mutual vulnerability restrains adventurism.
- Relearning Cold War deterrence norms can curb incentives for repeated nuclear blackmail.
