Front Burner Should Canada have nuclear weapons?
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Feb 10, 2026 George Perkovich, senior fellow and author on nuclear weapons and non-proliferation, breaks down treaty tools and what losing visibility between powers would mean. He explores new weapons, why smaller arsenals can still deter, and whether Canada could realistically pursue nukes. He also weighs geopolitical risks as rival states modernize their forces.
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Transparency Is The Stabilizer
- Losing treaty visibility removes inspections, data exchanges, and confidence-building measures.
- That increases the risk one side will try to gain a sudden advantage in a crisis.
No Limits Can Trigger A New Arms Race
- Without limits the U.S. and Russia can expand arsenals and prompt China to respond by growing its force.
- New weapon types and added warheads increase the prospect of an unconstrained arms race.
Smaller Arsenals Still Deter
- Treaties reduced global warheads from ~70,000 to ~12,000, moving toward realistic deterrence needs.
- Much smaller arsenals can still deter because mutual vulnerability, not massive stockpiles, prevents war.