The scars of devastation and cruelty imprinted on the land of Hiroshima and Nagasaki never fail to make one drown into the ordeals of the past which still release a sense of tremour in the people and also how the nuclear power was used as an aid to vandalize the human instinct. During World War II, on August 6, 1945, the world’s first ever deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima by an American B-29 bomber. The explosion had expunged 90 per cent of the city and brought lives of 80,000 people to an obnoxious end, and many others were killed due to radiation exposure. And then this tale of heinous distortion didn’t come to an end easily, just three days later another A-bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing another 40,000 people. While announcing his country’s surrender in a radio address on August 15, Japan’s emperor Hirohito cited the horrific attack as the power of a “new and most cruel bomb”. Even though these events are registered within the dark pages of history but still the terror these had casted on entire globe can never be shrugged off from the memory. In order to mark these unforgettable days of the past, the UN has marked August 6 as the Hiroshima Day and August 9 as the Nagasaki Day. The days have been given international recognition in order to sensitize people all across the world of the irreparable damage which unbridled power can lead to. Daidaku Ikeda once quoted that, “Japan learned from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the tragedy wrought by nuclear weapons must never be repeated and that humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist.” Ironically, weren’t these nuclear weapons made by the humans claiming to be constituting of humanity. And was nuclear power actually developed to be weapons vying to quench their thirst with the blood and tears of the innocent? Nuclear energy and power was brought into origin with a sole purpose of accelerating development and compensating for loss of other conventional energy sources. But it is simply the mentality of the users of this power which brims with greed and destruction, which made nuclear energy put the cape of the “ Devil energy”.

UN Reckoning the Halt

Marking it’s commence from July 16, 1945, approximately 2,000 nuclear weapons testing has taken place. Earlier having nuclear weapons was seen as a measure of scientific sophistication or military might and a blind eye was turned to its horrific repercussions. But the history has presented a lot many instances where nuclear power had overpowered humanity and lead to tragic effects and the conditions went awry. And all these facts converged into a very strong reason for international observance of a day against nuclear tests. As reckoned by the UN, every year on August 29 is observed as the International Day against Nuclear Tests; a day on which educational events, activities and messages aim to capture the world’s attention and underscore the need for unified efforts to prevent further nuclear weapons testing. On declaration of the International Day, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted resolution which calls for increasing awareness and education “about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world”. The resolution was initiated by the Republic of Kazakhstan, with a view to commemorate the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test site on August 29, 1991. The day is meant to galvanize the United Nations, Member States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, youth networks and the media to inform, educate and advocate the necessity of banning nuclear weapon tests as an eminent step towards achieving a safer world. The UN puts forth a hope that soon the world will be devoid and free of nuclear weapons.

Ties Between Nations Go Nuclear

India is among the three countries, while other being Pakistan and Israel, that did not give a green nod to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by giving no value to the global pressure. North Korea withdrew from the treaty in 2003. The Nuclear Supplier’s Group, which was formed in response to India’s 1974 nuclear tests, in 2008 dropped its ban on supplying civilian nuclear technology to India, as part of the Indo-US deal. The ban had been in place owing to India not signing the NPT. However, India’s attempts to join the Nuclear Supplier’s Group have been scuttled by China. It was in the year 2015, when Iran had inked a massive deal with six nations including US, Russia, China, UK, France and Germany. Iran agreed to limit its production of uranium and plutonium, which were used to make nuclear weapons, in return of this it demanded lifting of economic sanctions imposed on the state and releasing of $100 billion worth assets. But recently, the US withdrew its name from the treaty, with President Donald Trump stating it is as a horrible one-sided deal that could never lead to peace and economic sanctions were again reimposed on Iran, leading to souring of ties between US and Iran, and this also had a humungous effect on bilateral relations of other countries too.

Historic Summit: From Sour to Surreal

Long before the meeting between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump was scheduled, it had started forming ripples across the globe, with absolutely unprecedented actions, hard-hitting attacks and arguments put forth by the leaders of the two nations. But despite of several dramatic turn of events, the summit at Singapore held on July 12, seemed to iron out the wrinkles in the ties between North Korea and the US. Though details about the entire summit are a bit obscure, but viewing the picture in a holistic manner, the outcomes are tagged to be triumphant. While Kim Jong Un apparently gave his words on denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, on the other hand, the United States also promised to put a halt to the regular military exercises it conducts with South Korea and ensured security to North Korea. Though, being dubious of Kim’s promise of nuclear disarmament is legible enough because of the past instances which highlight the erotic behaviour of the despotic leader. Also, scepticism, cannot be denied on Trump’s words as well because of his abrupt withdrawl from treaty with Iran.

It’s Energy vs the Evil

The alarming rate at which conventional resources are draining and the need for alternative energy forms an inevitable part of the global scenario. And, with full emphasis on current situation nuclear power is the need for all today, pacing towards development would sound bizarre without the mention of nuclear energy for any nation. But the manifestations by humans do a have a conspicuous thirst for peace and harmony as well. Development for one can never be parallel with obnoxious and irreparable ordeals for many. We are in dire need of nuclear energy but never ever there has been a demand for weapons and bombs, in this battle of energy vs the evil, the evil must have no shots to hit.