Since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, almost every US president has threatened or prepared to initiate nuclear war. Leading US peace campaigner Dr Joseph Gerson explains how the US uses nuclear weapons to preserve its global empire, making more than 20 threats of nuclear attack during the Cold War – against Russia, China, Vietnam, and countries in the Middle East.
US nuclear threats continued under US presidents George Bush Sr, Bill Clinton, and George W Bush and provided precedent for recent Russian nuclear threats.
Joseph Gerson is executive director of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security. He is also former vice-president of the International Peace Bureau, co-convenor of the Peace & Planet international network, and a member of the No to NATO/No to War steering committee. Joseph Gerson's books include Empire and the Bomb: How the US Uses Nuclear Weapons to Dominate the World (Pluto, 2007).
This event was recorded on 22 February 2024 and chaired by Tom Unterrainer, chair of CND.