Nuclear blackmail explained

Nuclear blackmail is a form of nuclear strategy in which one of states uses the threat of use of nuclear weapons to force an adversary to perform some action or make some concessions. It is a type of extortion that is related to brinkmanship.

History

In 1950, US president Harry S. Truman publicly stated that the use of nuclear weapons was under "active consideration" against Chinese targets during the Korean War.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

In 1953, US president Dwight D. Eisenhower threatened the use of nuclear weapons to end the Korean War if the Chinese refused to negotiate.^{[5] [6] [7]}

In order to support the continued existence of the Republic of China government, the United States issued several nuclear threats against the People's Republic of China in the 1950s to force the evacuation of outlying islands and the cessation of attacks against Quemoy and Matsu.^{[8] [9] [10] [11] [12]}

Declassified documents from the UK National Archives indicate that the United Kingdom considered threatening China with nuclear retaliation in 1961 in the event of a military reclamation of Hong Kong by China.^[13]

In 1969 and onwards, US president Richard Nixon indirectly threatened North Vietnam with nuclear weapons via his madman theory.

In 1981, the US Department of Energy said there had been 75 cases of people attempting nuclear blackmail against the US but only several were serious attempts.^[14]

In 1991, Israel threatened Iraq with a "nuclear counter-response" if there was an attack using chemical weapons during the Gulf War.^[15]

In 2002, the George W. Bush administration declared that it was prepared to strike with nuclear missiles against Iraq if biological or chemical weapons were used against American troops or their allies during the Iraq War.^[16]

In 2005, Chinese major general Zhu Chenghu said that China might retaliate with nuclear weapons if the United States attacked Chinese forces in a conflict over Taiwan.^[17]

On January 2, 2018, US president Donald Trump threatened North Korea by pointing out that the US has much more nuclear firepower than North Korea, in response to a press release stating that a "nuclear button is on Kim Jong-un's desk at all times."^[18]

On February 24, 2022, in the TV address where Vladimir Putin announced Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Putin warned that any countries interfering would face consequences they had never encountered in their history. This was widely interpreted as being a threat of nuclear attack. Several days later, Putin put Russia's nuclear forces on a higher state of alert.^{[19] [20]} United States warned Russia of "catastrophic" consequences for Russia if Russia uses any nuclear weapons after setbacks in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[21]

See also

• Brinkmanship
• Deterrence theory
• Doomsday Clock
• Essentials of Post–Cold War Deterrence
• Mutual assured destruction
• Nuclear risk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
• Nuclear terrorism
• Samson Option

Notes and References

1. Web site: FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1950, KOREA, VOLUME VII. The Office of the Historian. The Office of the Historian. November 5, 2019.
2. News: November 30, 1950. The President's News Conference. Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum.
3. News: March 8, 2013. Examples of past nuclear threats between countries. The Seattle Times.
4. Norris. Robert S.. Kristensen. Hans M.. September 1, 2006. U.S. nuclear threats: Then and now. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 62. 5. 69–71. 2006BuAtS..62e..69N. 10.2968/062005016. 143502352 .
5. News: June 8, 1984. U.S. PAPERS TELL OF '53 POLICY TO USE A-BOMB IN KOREA. The New York Times.
6. News: November 13, 2019. Eisenhower goes to Korea. History .
7. Norris. Robert S.. Kristensen. Hans M.. September 1, 2006. U.S. nuclear threats: Then and now. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 62. 5. 69–71. 2006BuAtS..62e..69N. 10.2968/062005016. 143502352 .
8. Friedman. Edward. January 1975. Nuclear Blackmail and the end of the Korean War. Modern China. 1. 1. 75–91. 10.1177/009770047500100103. 143664791.
9. News: August 19, 2018. In 1955, America Was Ready for a Nuclear War with China over Taiwan. Yahoo News.
10. News: May 12, 2010. Nixon intervention saved China from Soviet nuclear attack. South China Morning Post.
11. News: March 8, 2013. Examples of past nuclear threats between countries. The Seattle Times.
12. Norris. Robert S.. Kristensen. Hans M.. September 1, 2006. U.S. nuclear threats: Then and now. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 62. 5. 69–71. 2006BuAtS..62e..69N. 10.2968/062005016. 143502352 .
13. News: August 19, 2018. UK pondered China nuclear attack. Yahoo News. November 8, 2013.
14. News: 75 Nuke Extortion Cases. UPI. The Telegraph-Herald. June 15, 1981. November 8, 2013.
15. Book: Strategic Defense Initiative : what are the costs, what are the threats? : hearing before the Legislation and National Security Subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, One Hundred Second Congress, first session, May 16 and October 1, 1991. . U.S. G.P.O. . 9780160385803 . 1992 .
16. News: US ready to use nuclear weapons on Iraq . December 12, 2002. The Times.
17. Web site: staff . Seattle Times . March 8, 2013 . Examples of past nuclear threats between countries . September 2, 2022 . The Seattle Times . en-US.
18. Web site: Trump. Donald. ...my Button works!. Twitter. January 8, 2018.
19. News: France says Putin needs to understand NATO has nuclear weapons. Reuters. February 24, 2022 . April 18, 2022.
20. Web site: Putin publicly put Russian nuclear forces on high alert. What should we make of that?. NPR. April 18, 2022.
21. Web site: Russia faces 'catastrophic' consequences if it uses nuclear weapons, U.S. warns . NBC News . September 26, 2022 . July 27, 2024.