The World Has Entered a Third Nuclear Age : THE HINDU EDITORIAL SIMPLIFIED

 The World Has Entered a Third Nuclear Age

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1. What Happened Recently

• Israel bombed Iran to stop its nuclear program.

• This breaks international rules and goes against the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

• Big powers have not criticised Israel.

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2. What Is the Third Nuclear Age?

• Nuclear weapons are back in focus.

• Earlier, there was hope to reduce or remove them.

• Now, many countries are modernising or increasing their nuclear weapons.

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3. First Nuclear Age (Cold War Time)

• U.S. and USSR had large nuclear arsenals.

• They signed treaties to reduce nukes (like New START, which ends in 2026).

• Main idea: Mutual destruction prevented war.

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4. Second Nuclear Age (Post-Cold War Hope)

• Countries talked about disarmament (like Global Zero by Obama).

• Some nuclear tests happened (India and Pakistan), but nukes were still seen as last-resort weapons.

• China started building nukes quickly.

• The NPT was extended, but nuclear powers didn’t try seriously to disarm.

• Result: Nuclear weapons became normal for powerful nations.

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5. Third Nuclear Age (Now)

• This age is more uncertain and unstable.

• China wants nukes to challenge U.S. power.

• U.S. has pulled back from world leadership, causing:

  • UK to plan new nuclear warheads.

  • France to upgrade old nuclear bases.

• Russia sent tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.

• Putin threatened to use nukes over Ukraine.

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6. What’s the Big Fear Now?

• Before: Nukes were only for deterrence (not actual use).

• Now: Some leaders may actually use them to gain power.

• This is a major risk to global safety.

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7. Conclusion

• The third nuclear age is:

  • More dangerous

  • Less predictable

  • Full of nuclear threats

• If the world doesn’t act, we may face serious nuclear insecurity.

  By: Shivam Saxena