The United States and Russia have quite the bumpy relationship. Talk of war between the two powerful countries isn’t anything new, and anyone who is paying attention knows that such a war would be devastating for much of the world.
Two recent research projects show just how bad things would be if the US and Russia unleashed their nuclear arsenals on each other.
A war between the US and Russia would cause a global nuclear winter.
Several months ago, researchers from Rutgers University, the University of Colorado Boulder, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research ran a simulation to see what a nuclear war between the US and Russia would do, and the findings were not pretty: Such a war would plunge the planet into a nuclear winter, with clouds of soot and smoke covering the planet. The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, found that the nuclear detonations would inject about 147 million tons of soot into the atmosphere. That soot would then spread around the stratosphere, blanketing the Earth in darkness.
Not only would explosions, fires, and radiation exposure kill millions in targeted cities, but the resulting nuclear winter – which could last many years- would drastically alter the Earth’s climate. The growing season would be slashed by nearly 90 percent in some areas, and death by famine would threaten nearly all of the Earth’s 7.7 billion people.
According to the model, the soot would not visibly clear for around seven years. Temperatures would drop by an average of 9 degrees Celsius (16 degrees Fahrenheit) across the globe, the researchers wrote, and it would take around three years for surface light to return to 40 percent of its pre-attack level.
More than 90 million immediate casualties would result.
Researchers at Princeton University created a simulation to see just how bad a nuclear war between the US and Russia would be for humanity, and the picture they paint is terrifying. The team used the Pentagon’s own plans (which were recently leaked) to “highlight the potentially catastrophic consequences of current US and Russian nuclear war plans,” a press release states.
The risk of nuclear war has increased dramatically in the past two years as the United States and Russia have abandoned long-standing nuclear arms control treaties, started to develop new kinds of nuclear weapons and expanded the circumstances in which they might use nuclear weapons. (source)
Researchers at Princeton’s Science and Global Security Lab created this video, which shows just how widespread the devastation from a nuclear war would be.
Does that simulation remind anyone else of the 1983 movie War Games? In that film, a young hacker accidentally accesses a US military supercomputer system called War Operation Plan Response (WOPR). Believing it is a video game, the hacker gets WOPR to run a nuclear war simulation – and the computer nearly starts World War III.
At the end of the movie, the computer tells Professor Falken, who is attempting to stop the WOPR from launching war, that nuclear war is “a strange game” in which “the only winning move is not to play.”
How many nuclear weapons are there?
Nine countries together possess nearly 14,000 nuclear weapons. The US and Russia have the most (6185 and 6500, respectively).
According to ICAN, “The United States and Russia maintain roughly 1,800 of their nuclear weapons on high-alert status – ready to be launched within minutes of a warning. Most are many times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945.”
If all of the nuclear weapons in the world were detonated at once, what would happen? The YouTube channel Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell attempts to demonstrate the aftermath in this video.
Is nuclear war between the US and Russia inevitable?
Such a war would be suicide for both countries, so why either would resort to such a thing baffles the mind. Earlier today, CNBC reported that Russia is conducting massive military drills with China, India, and Pakistan, in what experts say could be Moscow “sending a powerful message to the West.” Some sources report that tensions between the US and Russia are escalating to “new Cold War” levels. Others believe that the ousting of war hawk John Bolton might be a sign of the potential for a Russia-China-US alliance.
What do you think?
Are you looking for more resources on nuclear preparedness? Check out Daisy’s on-demand webinar with former Army NBC Specialist Chuck Hudson for practical, actionable information.
Do you think nuclear war is inevitable, or that it will never happen? What do you think of these simulations? Are they likely accurate, or are they fearmongering? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
About the Author
Dagny Taggart is the pseudonym of an experienced journalist who needs to maintain anonymity to keep her job in the public eye. Dagny is non-partisan and aims to expose the half-truths, misrepresentations, and blatant lies of the MSM.
Dagny Taggart.. ha ha.. Nice pseudonym! One day, though, you’ll choose to remove permanently to Galt’s Gulch. I think Atlas has already shrugged!
That is a worst case scenario.
Chances are Peace talks would start after the first nukes.
Because nobody want the worst case scenario to happen.
So basically it is fear mongering.
Just because you have a Military in your nation, it does not mean you are going to start WW3.
The same goes for the nuclear arsenals.
Barring any other human caused or natural disaster that changes the current world socio-political status quo, I believe we will be in a war with all sides using nuclear weapons as the initial confrontation escalates. It will most likely be an attempt by China to expand their sphere of influence to include all of South East Asia and the Western Pacific to within a couple of hundred miles of Hawai’i.
This probably will not go nuclear during the initial set of events. What I do believe will be the trigger for the nukes is North Korea or Iran using one with the thought that the US is occupied and would not notice. Or some thought process that equates to the same thing.
Once the first one goes, that will be the release. Depending on the specific scenario that plays out, the US may get involved in whatever smaller issue is going on, especially if Israel is attacked. whatever the next step is, many countries with nukes, even just one, is going to believe that they might as well use theirs and settle some old debts and grievances. When a couple more devices are used, the majors are going to accept that this is going to happen, and therefore start pushing buttons.
Just my opinion.
Oh please. Both sides have had nuclear bombs for 70 years or more. No war yet. Not saying it can’t happen. But 70 years is a pretty good track record of not using them.
This is the only scenario I DON’T bother prepping for. What would be the point?
But while we’re on the subject…do you think these will be conventional hydrogen bombs, or do you think we’ll all cut loose with those exotic nukes (the ones everyone swears they don’t have), cobalt and neutron bombs? They leave a lot less long term radiation in the environment and leave all the infrastructure intact. I’m supposing they still cause massive EMP’s, which means welcome back to the stone age for everyone. That in itself is a death sentence for 90%+ of the global population who survive the initial blasts.
Kind of sounds like exactly the sort of depopulation goals the lunatic globalists running the U.N. have been calling for from the beginning, doesn’t it?
But if you believe our Lord and take Him at His word, those moon bats aren’t going to get their way completely. Oh, they’ll make a grand mess of things to be sure, but they get pulled up short in the end. The best part is we all get front row seats to the greatest show on Earth! I don’t care who you are or what you’ve been through, when this kicks off we’re all going to see some shit no one has ever seen before, or ever will again. That almost makes it worth the price of admission in my book.
Carl Sagan wrote a book called nuclear winter. It goes over exactly what would happen and it’s very similar. He was hired by the government along with four of their scientists to determine what would happen if more than 10 nuclear bombs went off. Let’s just say if you survive it will be very cold and very dry
Someone opined years ago that it would be two countries with centuries-old conflict like India and Pakistan. They both still want to own the land called Kashmir and they both own nukes.
thanks to mutually assured destruction, when I die, everyone dies…
A good movie that shows the realities of nuclear war was a movie called “THREADS” that was shown on TV in the eighties. I haven’t seen it since then, but I guess it was such a shock.
Yes, there will be nuclear war. Tens of millions of U.S. citizens will die. The leaders of the Soviet Union (yes, Soviet Union, which has been revived under Putin) don’t believe in MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). To that end the Soviet Union has prepared for nuclear war. They have built massive underground shelters for their population.
Under Obama, our land-based nuclear missiles were commanded to absorb a first strike before firing back. As far as I know, that command has not been rescinded. The practical effects is that most of our land-based missiles will be made non-operational. The Soviets never kept the ABM treaty, so that they can shoot down much of our submarine missiles. Because they don’t believe in MAD, they are willing to make a surprise first strike that will take out much of our military and cities like NYC, Miami, LA that don’t have much military value but will hurt morale.
The Soviets want to take over Europe, and the Chinese communists want to get Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and other Asian countries. Both sets of rulers know that in order to accomplish their goals, they will have to attack and neutralize the U.S. They also know that they will need boots on the ground here in the U.S., so we can also expect an invasion.
The Soviets and Chinese have carried out massive military exercises in preparation for this war. The Soviets are massing troops along their western border in preparation for their invasion to the west. The Chinese preparations are not as obvious, maybe partly because their attacks will be against island nations.
The idea of a nuclear winter is way overblown. As far as I know, none of present nuclear weapons are powerful enough to blast dust into the stratosphere. Only massive volcanic eruptions can do that. Tambore in 1815 was far more powerful than a whole pile of nukes and gave us the “year without a summer” in 1816, but the climate largely recovered by 1817. Nuclear winter is very unlikely.
The biggest problem is the large numbers of people who didn’t expect to survive and are unprepared.
What I’ve described so far is just the first day or two of the war. I have some thoughts on what will happen next and the eventual outcome of the war, Some people think that this coming war is the same one as described in Ezekiel 38–39.
When will this war happen? Maybe 2020, maybe 2021. Most likely during the summer when the tanks can roll. There are several factors, each one could be the trigger. I don’t know exactly when, but pretty certain that it will come.
Nukes are a hoax. There’s no need to worry.
Nagasaki and Hiroshima were firebombed. Research it!
I did; nukes are real. There used to be some great articles about a study that concluded only 100 Hiroshima sized bombs destroy the world (nuked cities are major fallout producers, packed with asphalt and plastics).
Can’t find them as easily anymore, which means the information on the few studies available on nuclear war are far more offensive to the google-censor than atomic weapon denialists.
As of last count:
https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/Nuclearweaponswhohaswhat
Officially, Russia has the most warheads at 6,490, the U.S. second at 6,185, France 300, and China 290, UK 200, etc..
However, any count of U.S. nukes must include NATO nukes, and a plan was openly discussed about placing allied nukes directly under U.S. control, suggesting they probably already are, effectively.
In 1952, my dad was standing on the deck of a navy ship 200 miles from Eniwetok with his back to the blast and his hands over his eyes. (officers got eye masks) He said the blast was so bright, he could see all the bones in his hands for several seconds. Most of those sailors developed hypertensive disease and died young. They were not called Atomic Veterans for nothing. Those guys were sworn to secrecy but my dad couldn’t stand his secret any longer and told us the bare story of his experience just before he died — too, too young.
Check it out.
After the Dark Night Comes the Dawn?
The time in which we are living is of tremendous importance.
As things are moving today, the logical conclusion is a global suicide.
We are coming closer to a third world war.
It is sad to recognize the fact, but it is good to recognize it, because then there is the possibility of taking a different turn.
A single politician, to show his power, can destroy the whole of civilization.
Moscow, New York, London, Beijing, any place can be vaporized within seconds.
The whole point of a war is to win, but in a nuclear war nobody wins.
So war has lost its basic foundation.
If a nuclear war happens it will be the destruction of all.
People are completely asleep!
Yet this is a great moment in the history of mankind,
If the whole world can be destroyed together within minutes the alternative can only be that the whole world should be together.
Nuclear weapons need to be outlawed outright globally!
https://whenwardisappears.wordpress.com/
Aren’t I the idiot. I understand now about this name. Please keep doing what you’re doing. We love you and have learned so much from you.
Meh. Just another excuse for anti-Russia, anti-China fear mongering, and as mentioned by others, all-out nuclear war is not a realistic prep scenario. Most survivalists probably don’t expect to survive that anymore.
The U.S. has the largest nuke arsenal and the most doable nation is China, (as in vulnerable to decapitating, disarming first strike and “worth” such a risk). They only recently went to high alert status with some of their ~290 nukes, as in, they only recently armed a meaningful number missiles with warheads. China seems to be following Russia’s lead in response to U.S. sabre rattling, but would be counting on some level of Russian support because they have little redundancy in their nuclear triad.
The videos were interesting, but only 100 Hiroshima-sized nukes end the world. The standard Cold War nuke was 20x the power of Hiroshima.
Best thing that can happen is an arms limitation treaty including China as well as the U.S. and Russia, but that still leaves India-Pakistan, and Israel-Iran (even though Iran has no nukes), and North Korea-everyone else.
However, the world will never be nuke free, because even with nukes, the lid is hardly kept on war. Mutually Assured Destruction keeps direct peace between great powers and leaves room for indirect conflict via proxy wars and direct and indirect economic wars.
There has been no other way found thus far to deter conflict, and the risk will always remain of a false launch detection triggering a nuclear war.
There’s no place to comment on the proliferation of drones, so I’ll say what I think is a possible rationale for 5G and The Internet of Things being foisted upon us when the time comes. We just may “need” to have those two awful deadly things in our world for “national security” against drones.
My novel about such a nuclear war, informed by my training as an air force fighter pilot in the 1950s, seems to have accurately predicted what would happen. I say informed because more than 200 jet pilots like me trained to launch nuclear bombs in a surprise (sneak) attack. How my prediction stacks up alongside this one can be seen in the novel: Fallout: remains of an atomic war. Available from Amazon