The US and NATO at a nuclear crossroads

• NDC Policy Brief 02-2023: The US and NATO at a nuclear crossroads, by Michael Cohen*

Experts have debated the conditions under
which Russia would use nuclear weapons in its
war against Ukraine. Most agree that Russian
nuclear use cannot be ruled out. How, then, should
the US and NATO proceed in the face of such danger? Russia has not explicitly directed nuclear threats
against NATO; however, since the very beginning of
the war Russian President Vladimir Putin has engaged
in nuclear sabre-rattling to deter the West from directly intervening in Ukraine. A low yield nuclear strike
against Ukraine – or a non-NATO member – could
quickly escalate and draw Allies into the war. Russian
nuclear threats have thus unsettled the alliance, and
more broadly weakened the nuclear taboo shared by a
large majority of nations.

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