There is nothing scarier than nuclear war. We can tolerate other forms of war because we know that we can survive most of them. But nuclear war has the capacity to destroy human life on the planet, period. That is not an exaggeration.
And Donald Trump might make it happen.
Only one country on earth has tested nuclear weapons in the 21st century, and that’s North Korea. President Obama’s forays into diplomacy with the country have not gone to plan or even really gone. Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, tested nuclear weapons twice this year, and show no signs of stopping.
Donald Trump has gone so far as to praise Kim Jong-un, saying, “You gotta give him credit.” You really don’t.
Even though Trump tried to cover those same comments by making sure we knew that he thought the ruthless dictator of North Korea was a nasty guy, his words ring of comparisons to the praise he has showered on Vladimir Putin, saying:
“He’s running his country, and at least he’s a leader. Unlike what we have in this country.”
It’s no wonder Trump would admire men who ruthlessly drown out dissent and stamp on media criticism, seeing as he has repeatedly attacked first amendment rights from protestors, media outlets, and even theatre actors.
Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 11, 2016
The Theater must always be a safe and special place.The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2016
Trump has even suggested that nuclear proliferation is a good thing, such as in an interview with the New York Times:
“And, would I rather have North Korea have them with Japan sitting there having them also? You may very well be better off if that’s the case. In other words, where Japan is defending itself against North Korea, which is a real problem.”
Trump added later in the same interview:
“If Japan had that nuclear threat, I’m not sure that would be a bad thing for us.”
All in all, Donald Trump’s policies could provide a disaster for us all, whether that’s in going against sanctions or simply in reactionary measures because his policies on proliferation are far from clear.
Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry spoke out about the dangers of nuclear war one week after the election, in Seoul, South Korea. And even though he does not think nuclear war will happen through willful action, he thinks ignorance is just as dangerous a vice as malice:
“The likelihood today of a nuclear catastrophe somewhere in the world is greater than it was than during the Cold War — greater than during the Cold War.”
He adds:
“The danger is we blunder into a nuclear war. The reason we are blundering into these positions is that people do not understand the dangers.”
It is more than clear that our President-elect is among those to whom that description applies.
Featured Images by DonkeyHotey via Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0
