The world has entered a dangerous new nuclear age, prompting nuclear states to double down on their commitment to nuclear deterrence. Carolina Pantoliano and Rhys Crilley say we must critically examine this rhetoric. Here, they explore how popular culture shapes the nuclear issue, and how it can help build support for disarmament
The world is at the brink of nuclear catastrophe. With the Doomsday Clock now at 89 seconds to midnight, the threat of nuclear annihilation has never been closer. Despite persistent global calls for disarmament, and efforts to eliminate these inhumane weapons, nuclear-armed states continue to modernise their arsenals. They remain steadfast in their belief in the strategic value of nuclear weapons and the reliability of deterrence, ignoring the catastrophic risks that such calculations entail.
Indeed, several high-profile government officials in the USA and UK recently noted that the world has now entered a dangerous ‘new nuclear age’. This age, they argue, requires a further commitment to nuclear deterrence and, potentially, an increase in nuclear arsenals.
The first nuclear age encompasses the Cold War period and was characterised by bipolar superpower competition and arms races. The second nuclear age, during the post-Cold War era, saw a reduction in overall nuclear stockpiles, but also the proliferation of nuclear weapons to new states, followed by concerns over rogue states and nuclear terrorism. As Rhys's new book warns, this third nuclear age is marked by new challenges, making it even more volatile and complex.
Current risks include the rise of multipolarity, the collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its suspension of the nuclear arms reduction treaty New START, as well as Israel's use of force against Iran, which has now threatened to withdraw from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Amid rising geopolitical tensions, the development of disruptive technologies like AI also pose grave risks. All these factors are already shaping the international security landscape, and have significant implications for nuclear disarmament.
The collapse of arms reduction treaties, rising geopolitical tensions, and the development of AI all have significant implications for nuclear disarmament
The concept of the third nuclear age continues to gain traction in academic and policy circles. As it does, it becomes clear that analyses of nuclear politics are based primarily on what states do and think. With a few exceptions, most works focus in particular on how 'high politics' are making the world more dangerous. As a result, recent analyses of this issue discourage considering disarmament as a policy option, instead focusing attention on the centrality of nuclear deterrence.
The increasing salience of third nuclear age rhetoric conditions us to think of nuclear weapons, and purported solutions, in state-centric ways.
This is problematic because it excludes important mechanisms beyond the state, and diplomatic practices that sustain and challenge the nuclear status quo. A state-centric approach also precludes solutions that may arise from more mundane processes of knowledge production or political action.
Diplomatic processes are indeed indispensable. But we should pay more attention to the everyday mechanisms that affirm and reiterate knowledge about nuclear weapons. This is crucial to address contemporary challenges and advance arms control.
Carolina's recent research examines how the bestselling video game Call of Duty depicts nuclear weapons. Her findings reveal how gameplay stories endorse the strategic value of nuclear weapons, and portray an exclusionary and violent power balance. Research into online gaming shows how such cultural artefacts play an important role in knowledge production. Indeed, describing violent online gaming as mere ‘play’ downplays the seriousness of nuclear weapons as a global challenge.
The popular film Oppenheimer recently brought the nuclear issue back into public consciousness, yet many people still feel they lack the agency to advocate for disarmament
Recent films like Oppenheimer have helped bring the nuclear issue back into public consciousness. But forthcoming research by the Nuclear Knowledges project reveals that many people still feel disempowered to advocate for change. Oppenheimer addresses dangers associated with splitting the atom. But it also reveals the intricate political processes that shape the global nuclear order, and the constraints on achieving change. The film promotes the idea that we can mitigate nuclear risks through reliance on what Emily Faux and Rebecca K. Pullen call the trope of the ‘hero-warrior-protector’ who will save us from Armageddon.
Assumptions about how the world works inform video games, films, books, music, and other cultural outputs. The people who consume these outputs reproduce and reiterate these assumptions, rendering them normal. Engagement with popular culture generates knowledge and understanding that shapes what people believe to be good, legitimate, or right in global politics. This can start at a very early age. Carolina's research documents a five-year-old girl who threatened her playmates with nuclear annihilation during a game of tag. Where had she learned about nuclear weapons? From watching her big brother play Call of Duty.
Subtle cultural conditioning shapes people's views on nuclear politics. Policymakers should not lose sight of this
Experts and policymakers should not lose sight of the subtle cultural conditioning that shapes views on nuclear politics. Scholars, states and supporters of arms control and disarmament should explore opportunities for advancing disarmament using cultural sites of knowledge production.
Paying careful attention to the everyday is crucial for delegitimising nuclear weapons. It also helps build support for nuclear disarmament. As long as the social practices woven into our everyday lives reiterate dominant assumptions about nuclear weapons, people will continue to value nuclear weapons as powerful strategic assets, and the crises of the third nuclear age will remain.
