IS THERE A TIME when we might call Vladimir Putin’s bluff regarding a nuclear war?
I don’t think it will happen tomorrow, but it may happen sooner than we think.
And if Putin hits the button, it is unlikely any of us will survive in the long haul.
The question is -”Is Vladimir Putin bluffing or does he just want to hold the West at bay?”
We don’t know the answer.
Brian Toon from the University of Colorado in Boulder, one of the world’s foremost experts in the meteorological consequences of even a small number of nuclear explosions, says it would be devastating.
The deaths from radiation alone would be catastrophic, but Toon’s assessment would have us consider other effects. Toon says, in an interview with CNN, we shouldn’t be too worried at this point because Putin understands if nuclear explosions occur, Russia would be under a pile of rubble.
Toon says Putin is trying to bluff the West into not helping Ukraine, and so far he’s been successful to a large measure. He is unchecked in his efforts to take over Ukraine and his war crimes against civilians will continue until he is seriously challenged.
What would happen if there was a nuclear war?
Toon tells CNN each American submarine carries about 96 nuclear warheads, each with 10 times the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in World War II.
If the Russians, who are similarly equipped, unleashed their weapons as well?
Toon gives an example. If India and Pakistan, both countries with relatively small nuclear capabilities, were to unleash even half of their small arsenals,up to 150 million people could be directly killed by the explosions.
But it gets worse.
Toon says 1-3 BILLION could die worldwide because the smoke would block sunlight and drop temperatures to Ice Age levels within weeks.
If the war were to expand, temperatures could fall below freezing for two years. Refineries would be destroyed, power lines would be down.
Not a pretty sight.
So we should be aware of the consequences, but at some point, we might be faced with some pretty tough decisions.
I’m Doug Collins and that’s One Man’s Opinion.
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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.
