While Russia has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine, China declared that it will “not renounce” the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

At a time when the menacing actions of these two major powers are fueling tensions, the U.S. government released a document describing its nuclear strategy.

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, which has inherited the Obama administration’s vision of “a world without nuclear weapons,” considered reviewing Washington’s traditional nuclear strategy.

But the Nuclear Posture Review, part of the Pentagon’s 2022 Strategic Reviews, signals no significant change concerning the roles of nuclear arms and the situations in which they would be used.

The review reaffirms that a top priority is deterring attacks against the United States and its allies with its nuclear arsenal.

The Biden administration decided against adopting a “sole purpose” nuclear policy, which means nuclear weapons would be used only to deter and, if necessary, retaliate for nuclear attacks.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has clearly shown that the world is fraught with security risks. But the aggression has also highlighted problems with nuclear deterrence, which is based on the assumption that leaders of nuclear weapons states will make rational decisions.

The U.S. nuclear strategy document endorses a policy of continuing to rely on nuclear deterrence while being aware of the risk of global destruction posed by this approach. We are deeply concerned about the implications of this conclusion.

Russia, which has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to break the nuclear taboo, bears grave responsibility. China should also be strongly criticized for its military buildup in blatant disregard of neighboring countries’ anxieties.

However, the United States, one of the world’s largest nuclear powers along with Russia, should reflect on its own responsibility for the deteriorating situation.

We still have fresh memories of the Trump administration enhancing the U.S. nuclear arsenal under the ideology of “peace by force.”

The world is constantly vulnerable because the foundation of security and peace could be shaken by U.S. policy changes.

The U.S. document stresses the importance of remaining committed to the global nuclear nonproliferation regime. It said the United States “supports the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and is committed to working to achieve its entry into force.”

But the United States itself has yet to ratify the treaty.

Disappointingly, the document says the United States “does not consider the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) to be an effective means” to achieve the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, even though many non-nuclear weapons states worked together to realize the treaty.

On the other hand, the document calls for the establishment of a global arms control framework to promote nuclear nonproliferation.

There is a clear urgency to respond to the security threat posed by China, which has rapidly expanded its nuclear arsenal outside the scope of nuclear arms reduction talks, such as those between Washington and Moscow.

There is also no denying that the nuclear powers’ failure to live up to their promises for nuclear arms reduction has undermined the credibility of the nonproliferation regime.

The five leading nuclear powers--the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France--issued a joint statement in January saying that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” They should take the initiative in nuclear arms reduction.

In the strategy document, the Biden administration also pledged to collaborate with allies to tailor extended deterrence and assurance policies that “integrate our collective capabilities.”

If Japan responds passively to this proposal, it will only contribute to accelerating the trend toward a new arms race.

Japan should ask itself what kind of diplomatic efforts it should make to improve, even if slightly, the regional security environment. The country needs to develop its own independent and comprehensive strategy for peace building.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 30