Matthew Tostevin
Although President Donald Trump has said he wants to get rid of nuclear weapons, the uncertainty he is creating over global alliances has made it likely more countries will consider them, nuclear weapons experts say.
The risk is of a new wave of nuclear proliferation, with a larger number of nuclear powers increasing the chance of either intentional or accidental use of atomic weapons—if not World War III.
"Many of the countries that earlier decided to forego the nuclear weapons option did so precisely because of the protection provided by the United States and alliances," said Elena Sokova, executive director of the nonprofit Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation.
"I'm first and most concerned about the developments among the United States and Europe, the traditional partners, but in the same way in Asia. Asia-Pacific is also feeling the pressure and also concerns about the reliability of the alliances."
A State Department spokesperson told Newsweek: "The United States has long worked to prevent additional states from acquiring nuclear weapons."
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