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The rising threat of nuclear war (Rebroadcast)

Visitors look at a model of a Soviet AN-602 thermonuclear aerial bomb.
Visitors look at a model of a Soviet AN-602 thermonuclear aerial bomb.

The reality of a nuclear war probably seems unimaginable to the average American.

But for the past two years, the Ukrainian and American governments have had missiles on the brain, specifically those from Russia. If Ukraine breaks Putin’s hold on Crimea, there’s a real possibility he might retaliate in the most serious of manners.

Those aren’t the only nukes that have been in the news in the last decade. The Iran deal restricted the country’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un continues to threaten the West with his missiles.

So how far are we from mutually assured destruction? What does the fallout look like if someone does press that big red button?

We speak to Hideko Tamura Snider, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the author of “One Sunny Day: A Childs Memories of Hiroshima,” about the horrors she witnessed the morning of Aug. 6, 1945.

We also speak to Joan Rohlfing, president and COO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Ed Geist, policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, and W.J. Hennigan, the lead writer for The New York Times series “At the Brink.”

Below is a statement from the Department of Defense on efforts being undertaken to ensure that hostile entities do not obtain nuclear weapons:

Copyright 2024 WAMU 88.5

Emilce Quiroz