For 80 years, since the atomic bombs were dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world has stood at the brink of nuclear war with the potential for catastrophic loss, threatening all of humanity. Former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara said in the years after the Cuban missile crisis that indeed sheer luck was what prevented nuclear war, not superior weapons, brinkmanship, or knowledge. There have been multiple other times where nuclear launch countdowns have begun from misinterpretation, human error, or technological glitch. In the end, like Las Vegas gamblers, the question is how long will our luck hold out? The odds are not in our favor. The only way to prevent nuclear war is by the complete elimination of these weapons. 

Fueled by outdated us versus them thinking, we overlook the reality that we are one human family, interdependent and interconnected, on this fragile planet. We have been erroneously captivated by the illusion of deterrence and the misconception that whatever my adversary has, I must have bigger, better, and more.

We move forward in ignorance and/or denial, as though in a trance, ignoring the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons and the fallacy that they make us safer, instead of recognizing them as the greatest threat to our continued survival. We must change the narrative that there are good people versus evil people with nuclear weapons and recognize that nuclear weapons, and ultimately wars themselves, are the enemy.

Conflict is inevitable, war is optional. Currently we see conflict between nuclear nations in multiple hotspots around the globe: the war in Ukraine where threats of nuclear weapons have been suggested, the longstanding and recent fighting between the nuclear nations of India and Pakistan, Israel’s and US bombing of Iran’s nuclear site, the ongoing tensions in the Taiwan Strait between China and Taiwan, and finally Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza.

With nuclear states at war, any conflict could escalate to a nuclear war. As long as nuclear weapons exist, all of humanity remains at risk.

There are means other than war to resolve conflict.

Diplomacy and nonviolent communication are critical. To abolish nuclear weapons we must have urgent, parallel tracks of nuclear diplomacy, and arms control leading to a verifiable, complete disarmament simultaneously with diplomacy and negotiations to immediately end the war in Ukraine, demand an end to the genocide in Gaza, secure lasting peace between India and Pakistan and seek a long-standing internationally supported peace accord between China and Taiwan.

The provision of appropriate and immediate foreign aid including food and water to Gaza and other areas of the world facing famine is critical. As long as a single child is lost to preventable starvation and dehydration, all of humanity sustains a loss of who we are.

International cooperation and collaboration are essential to address the dire circumstances of these crises. Examples of this include collective efforts on controlling the AIDs epidemic, to COVID 19, to efforts combating climate change. 

Respect for, and adherence to, international law is critical, rather than abiding only by the laws that benefit your country. Courts like the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court must be above reproach and under the auspices of the United Nations. 

Individually and collectively, we can endorse and support a movement called “Back from the Brink”, bringing communities together to abolish nuclear weapons. This movement calls on the U.S. to lead a global effort to pursue the verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons, renounce first use, end sole presidential launch authority, end hair-trigger launch, and cancel enhanced weapons. 

In this 80th year of the nuclear age, it is time for a new narrative and a new way of thinking. We must recognize that we are one interconnected human family on this planet. What affects one of us, affects all of us. This grand experiment of humanity risks great peril from nuclear war to climate change. The choice we make and the direction we follow at this point is very likely the greatest decision of humankind, a chance to move back from the brink and save the world. The time is now and the choice is ours.

Robert Dodge, M.D., is a family physician practicing in Ventura, Calif. He is the past president of Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles (www.psr-la.org), and serves as the Co-Chair of the Committee to Abolish Nuclear Weapons of National Physicians for Social Responsibility (www.psr.org).