According to Elmar Hellendoorn, a senior fellow at the American think tank Atlantic Council, the Russian deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus could have serious consequences. “We have forgotten how those weapons can also be used for diplomatic and geopolitical purposes. Without blowing them up immediately,’ he says on the BNR Boekestijn en De Wijk program.
According to Hellendoorn, much knowledge of nuclear policy has disappeared. “Both governments and think tanks and universities, fewer and fewer people know what these nuclear weapons are.” At the mere thought of nuclear weapons, people go into “a spasm.” However, this fear response could lead to divisions within NATO, she thinks. Nuclear diplomacy must therefore be “magnified”.
Also listen | Boekestijn and De Wijk – Nuclear diplomacy
Saddam Hussein
Russia decided to deploy Iskander missiles in Belarus last month. “These are installations on which two missiles are mounted and which have a range of around 500 kilometres,” says Hellendoorn. “This is the standard version and is a bit like the successor to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s infamous SCUD missile.”
However, the question is whether the Iskander missiles placed by Russia in Belarus will have that 500-kilometer range. This means that it is possible to reach the Polish capital Warsaw. “There are also versions that can easily cover 2,000 kilometres. “And then you come to central Germany,” says Hellendoorn. This knowledge causes frightening reactions in Europe.
Wedge between the US and the EU
The growing discussion in Europe about nuclear weapons in general and US nuclear weapons in particular on European soil could therefore lead to divisions between the US and Europe, Hellendoorn thinks. “If the Russians can ensure that there is a wedge between the US and Europe, then not only will a road be opened for Russia, but a barrier will also be removed for China.”
A discussion of a ban on nuclear weapons is too late, says international relations professor Rob de Wijk. “If you had this discussion 25 years ago, you would have had a chance. Now you’re just playing into Putin’s hands.’
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Hiroshima
Hellendoorn: ‘During the Cold War, Russia had about 22,000 tactical nuclear weapons, the Americans had about 11,000. Now Russia still has about 2,000 nuclear weapons, America has several hundred nuclear weapons on European territory.’ These nuclear bombs have a force of between 0.7 kilotons and 130 kilotons and are to be dropped by European warplanes. For comparison, the American atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945 had a force of 15 kilotons.
According to De Wijk, ‘technical transfer’ is Europe’s biggest nuclear weapons problem. “They get hanged under a plane, they get on a cruise missile, they get on a ballistic missile. This is crucial.’ However, Europe decided after the Cold War that bombs can only be dropped from airplanes. The Russians didn’t. Europe does not have a huge deterrent in this area. This is where the big problem lies, where the Russians have a lot more advantages than us.”
Deterrence, not blackmail
As for Hellendoorn, NATO should start thinking more about nuclear diplomacy. “We need to talk more about it, think about it and develop ideas about it so we don’t get caught out.” For example, on what weapons should be deployed against Russian Iskander missiles in Belarus. “Do you also have to develop medium-range missiles for F35 fighters yourself?”
These plans could eventually lead to arms control talks with the Russians. “Russians take it seriously and then they feel they are taken seriously. An important element’, thinks Hellendoorn. According to De Wijk, the additional weaponry is also a deterrent. ‘We thought about it a lot during the Cold War, but now it’s gone. Now people talk about blackmail when it comes to Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, but this is only a deterrent. ‘
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
