A nuclear arms race in space? It seems we've learned nothing from Hiroshima

As the world marks the 75th anniversary of the dropping of the atom bomb on Japan, it must wake up to the new rearmamentRussia ’sapparent test-firing of an anti-satellite weapon in outer space on 15 July, as alleged by the US and Britain, could be dismissed as another of Vladimir Putin ’s annoying provocations. That would be a mistake. The alleged new space weapon should be seen in the broader context of a rapidly evolving, hi-tech, high-risk international arms race involving all the major nuclear powers that, largely undiscussed, is spinning out of control.This week sees the 75th anniversary of the atomicbomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed over 200,000 people, but the absence of public debate or a sense of alarm about the grim advent of sophisticated new nuclear, hypersonic, cyber and space weapons is striking. In the decades after Hiroshima, noisy anti-nuclear “ban the bomb” protests by CND and others spanned the globe. Today, by comparison, an eerie silence reigns.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Nuclear weapons US military Space China Russia Nato World news US news Asia Pacific Source Type: news