U.S. President Barack Obama's historic visit to Hiroshima must give fresh impetus to efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Amid today's increasingly fraught international political climate, the risks are getting higher. States must take urgent action to safeguard all our futures.
We now know more than ever the dangers of an accidental or deliberate detonation of a nuclear weapon. We also realize that there can be no adequate humanitarian response to such a nightmare scenario.
Malfunctions, mishaps, false alarms and misinterpreted information have nearly led to the intentional or accidental detonation of nuclear weapons on numerous occasions since 1945, according to testimonies by experts and former nuclear force officers. In the past two years alone, the organization Global Zero has documented scores of "military incidents" involving nuclear weapons states and their allies, alongside the increasing risks stemming from cyberattacks.