What causes countries to pursue nuclear weapons?

Understanding the reasons why a country chooses to go nuclear are complex, variable and speculative, but I would offer as a hypothesis four principal, though often overlapping factors: fear, security, enhancing the country’s bully potential or countering another country’s bully potential, and prestige.

What are the probable choices for nuclear motivations of states?

8 And to mention only one more possible classification: Joseph Cirincione in 2007 also defined five motivations for states to pursue or forgo nuclear weapons: 1) security; 2) prestige; 3) domestic politics; 4) technology; and 5) economics.

Which countries are spending $1 trillion on nuclear weapons?

The UK is upgrading its nuclear weapons systems, and the US may spend more than $1 trillion (£703bn) by the 2040s upgrading its nuclear capabilities. And North Korea continues to test and develop its nuclear programme with missile tests as recent as October.

Where are nuclear weapons stored in the United States?

The location with the most nuclear weapons by far is the large Kirtland Underground Munitions and Maintenance Storage Complex south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Most of the weapons in this location are retired weapons awaiting dismantlement at the Pantex Plant in Texas.

Which country was the first to use nuclear weapons?

The United States was the first country to manufacture nuclear weapons and is the only country to have used them in combat, with the separate bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.

How many nuclear weapons does the United States have?

It is estimated that, since 1945, the United States produced more than 70,000 nuclear warheads, which is more than all other nuclear weapon states combined. The Soviet Union/Russia has produced approximately 55,000 nuclear warheads since 1949, France built 1,110 warheads since 1960,…