I’m 46, and I grew up with the fear of nuclear war: worried that Russia would launch an attack on the United States.
I will be forever grateful to the diplomats, scientists, and ordinary citizens who worked to make this world a safer place. Today’s children have been able to play and plan without nuclear nightmares.
Rercenly, the president of the United States tweeted, “I, too, have a nuclear button…and my button works.”
His threat increases the danger of nuclear war. President George W. Bush’s Secretary of State, Eliot Cohen, said that Trump’s statement is “spoken like a petulant 10-year-old, but one with nuclear weapons — for real — at his disposal.”
President Trump’s thoughtless words could undo decades of work to reduce the danger of nuclear war. In a nuclear war, there are no winners — the catastrophe is global.
I hope that diplomats, scientists, and ordinary citizens will again be able to save us from the nuclear threat — unfortunately made worse by our own leader.
Maya Fischhoff, Ada
