The First Nuclear Age has been defined as the bi-polar world between the two nuclear superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, with minor nuclear powers Great Britain and France. This first age, the age of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), lasted some forty or fifty years. The Second Nuclear Age has been defined as the age of proliferation, when countries such as Israel, Pakistan, China and North Korea developed the bomb, with Iran on the threshold of having nuclear capability. The Third Nuclear Age is defined as the time, now fast approaching, when Iran and/or North Korea will give or sell nuclear weapons to non-state actors like al-Qaeda and the Taliban. When that happens we will long for the good old days of Mutual Assured Destruction.

 

 

How much we yearn at every turn

For good old days of yore

When all that’s good was all that stood

Before the locked nuke door

Today we see the NPT

In tattered disarray

It served us well but what the hell

The thing has seen its day

Now everyone under the sun

Has nukes or plans in place

To build or try to steal or buy

A bomb to join the race

And soon the wise al Qaeda guys

Will get their hands on one

And New York town will be one down

Though not be one and done

For soon the sky will see them fly

As missiles targets seek

And the world’s heirs as if one cares

The roaches and the meek