Nuclear blackmail
| Nuclear weapons |
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| Background |
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Nuclear blackmail is a form of nuclear strategy in which one of states uses the threat of use of nuclear weapons to force an adversary to perform some action or make some concessions. It is a type of extortion that is related to brinkmanship.
History
[edit]In order to support the continued existence of the Republic of China government, the United States issued several nuclear threats against the People's Republic of China in the 1950s to force the evacuation of outlying islands and the cessation of attacks against Quemoy and Matsu.[1]
In 1981, the US Department of Energy said there had been 75 cases of people attempting nuclear blackmail against the US but only several were serious attempts.[2]
On February 24, 2022, in the TV address where Vladimir Putin announced Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Putin warned that any countries interfering would face consequences they had never encountered in their history. This was widely interpreted as being a threat of nuclear attack. Several days later, Putin put Russia's nuclear forces on a higher state of alert.[3][4] United States warned Russia of "catastrophic" consequences for Russia if Russia uses any nuclear weapons after setbacks in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[5]
On September 25, 2024, Putin warned the West that if attacked with conventional weapons Russia would consider a nuclear retaliation. Putin went on to threaten nuclear powers that if they supported another country's attack on Russia, then they would be considered participants in such an aggression. This was described by the office of Ukrinian President Vladimir Zelensky as nuclear blackmail.[6][7]
See also
[edit]- Brinkmanship
- Deterrence theory
- Doomsday Clock
- Emotional blackmail
- Essentials of Post–Cold War Deterrence
- Mutual assured destruction
- Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Nuclear terrorism
- Samson Option
References
[edit]- ^ Friedman, Edward (January 1975). "Nuclear Blackmail and the end of the Korean War". Modern China. 1 (1): 75–91. doi:10.1177/009770047500100103. S2CID 143664791.
- ^ "75 Nuke Extortion Cases". The Telegraph-Herald. UPI. June 15, 1981. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
- ^ "France says Putin needs to understand NATO has nuclear weapons". Reuters. February 24, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ "Putin publicly put Russian nuclear forces on high alert. What should we make of that?". NPR. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ "Russia faces 'catastrophic' consequences if it uses nuclear weapons, U.S. warns". NBC News. September 26, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Sauer, Pjotr (September 25, 2024). "Vladimir Putin warns west he will consider using nuclear weapons". The Guardian. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ Schmemann, Serge (November 4, 1993). "Russia Drops Pledge of No First Use of Atom Arms". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2024.