The nuclear threat from its origins

In his new book Pax atomica?, Based on thirty years of experience, demographer Bruno Tertrais retraces the history of the nuclear bomb and defends the idea that it has been and will remain a factor of peace between states... with a few nuances.

Putin, in a threatening tone, regularly alludes to his country's nuclear power. For its part, Israel, which is also a nuclear power, never mentions it. Iran is just a few steps away from acquiring this weapon. North Korea, an unpredictable state if ever there was one, has it. Atomic weapons confer a special status on those who possess them. Yet it has only been used twice, by the Americans in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Up to now, it has been more an instrument of deterrence than of destruction. Will this be the case in the future? Everyone hopes so, but is it realistic?