Anyone think we're closer than ever to seeing nuclear weapons being used?

Question

I think with what is happening in the Middle East, a county like Israel is only going to take it for so much longer before they say "Enough is enough, this latest bomb attack is the last straw" and then they launch a devastating nuclear attack. I think we're closer than during the Cold War to seeing nukes used.

I also mean closer since the US dropped two nukes on Japan.

Answer 1

Its a statistical certainty, the more proliferation there is, the greater the statistical probability that some crazy wacko egomaniac will get their finger on the trigger and blast away. Especially if they get into a position of being beaten down and have nothing left to lose, 'scorched earth'.

Answer 2

You'd be surprised at how many times the nuclear sword of Damacles came down to destroy humanity. The Cuban Missile crisis was the most well known, but there were others.

Deep in a secret bunker near Moscow, Colonel Stanislav Petrov was in command of a listening post designed to monitor the nuclear launch detecting satellites in the event that the United States attacked Russia. It was all part of the Mutually Assured Destruction doctorine which didn't really care, however futile, if anyone survived a nuclear attack, but was more concerned with making sure your missles were launched back in retaliation before you were blown into nothingness.

Suddenly, a large red button with the word "START" lit up. According to the early warning system, the US had just launched a nuclear rocket. Stanislav related that it was a moment of "collasal shock", everyone jumped up from their posts and looked at him. Thirty levels of confirmation said it was an attack, but he decided it had to be a glitch. There there was another alarm, and another and another and another. According to his computer system 5 nuclear warheads were on their way to destroy his homeland.

Colonel Petrov had 2-3 minutes to make a decision. If he waited too long, it would be too late to attempt a counter strike. If he pressed the button it would allow former head of the KGB turned Soviet leader Yuri Andropov to launch a counter offensive that would kill millions. In a moment of intuition, inspiration, just dumb luck, he decided to go with what he knew. He said, "In two or three minutes you aren't going to fully analyze anything. Intuition is all that is left. I had two arguments. First, a nuclear attack doesn't start from one base, but from all of them. Second, the computer by definition is an idiot. What wouldn't it recognize as a launch…"

So, going against everything he was trained to do, even against the protocols he himself had written, Colonel Stanislav Ephriamavich Petrov did NOT push the button.

In the investigation that followed, it turned out that the new satellite system was not very complete. Instead of geosychronous orbits, the satellites were in elliptical orbits and very often were in positions where there was only one in the sky over a certain area. The "rocket launches' they detected were sun rays bouncing off of high altitude clouds.

The investigative committee neither condemned nor rewarded Petrov. He says that if they had rewarded him, they would have had to punish someone else. Especially those who designed the satellite system. Instead, Petrov slipped into the woodworks and retired after a few months. Some say he was driven out. He says he got tired of military life.

Either way, he is living out his life in a small city outside of Moscow on a meager pension. Invitations from admirers go unheeded. He has stacks of cards from visiting journalists, only 3 of which are Russian. The West sees him as a hero. He just says, "I just did my job. At the right place. At the right time."

Answer 3

Nope there was the Cuban Missile Crises in the early 1960's Russia wanted to house nuclear missile in Cuba. The Americans under John F. Kennedy were prepared to go to war over this. Apparently the Russia only were going to place nuclear weapons in Cuba in retaliation for the US placing nuclear weapons in England, Italy and Turkey. Basically what happen is that Americans refused to play up to Russian threats and in the end the Russians moved their nuclear weapons out of Cuba.

Answer 4

North Korea is much closer to using nuclear weapons than any Middle east country is. Middle east country's don't have the technology or ability to build nuclear weapons. North Korea on the other hand all ready has some. Direct your fears in the right direction.

Answer 5

Seeing you took out WWII, I still think the Cuban missile crisis was closer.
I think North Korea is closer to using nukes than Israel, but they were not trying to when they launched their test missile. Israel can't nuke Gaza without taking the fallout themselves. They can nuke Syria and/or Iran, they are getting far from the actual people doing the attacks and using up their arsenel.

Answer 6

I actually find my self almost hoping some thing will happen. I don't want mass destruction but I think a little shock and aww is over due. To many people are walking around with no clue of what is really going on in the world.

Answer 7

its gonna happen at some point. the good news is that the west has a distinct advantage by sheer number of weapons. May actually wake some people up if a small scale exchange does occur.

Answer 8

I would disagree with you. I do not think we are as close as we were during the Cold War. Also, I do not think we are very close seeing a nuclear war break out but would hate to be wrong.

Answer 9

Cuban Missle Crisis was closer, and have you ever heard the song 'Two Minutes to Midnight' by Iron Maiden?

Answer 10

No, the Cuban missile crisis was far closer.