Easier said than done: demonstration in Chicago in October
Image: AFP
Actually, President Biden wanted to stipulate that America would not be the first country to use nuclear weapons in a conflict. Putin’s Ukraine war prevented that. But the focus is not on Moscow.
Dhe “Nuclear Posture Review” (NPR), with which the American government determines at irregular intervals what role its own nuclear weapons arsenal should play in the national security strategy, is generally characterized by long-term assessments of the international situation. However, the latest version, the fifth of its kind, which was presented together with the National Defense Strategy at the end of October, had to be adapted at short notice.
The new circumstances after the Russian attack on Ukraine made this necessary. How much the situation has changed has only just become clear again: Washington is currently concerned that the Russian military, according to its own intelligence services, was discussing the use of tactical nuclear weapons – in a round of talks at which Vladimir Putin, who previously made repeated nuclear threats did not attend.
