Today marks 80 years since the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima. That bomb changed the world. It wiped out an entire city in seconds, killed tens of thousands instantly, and showed humanity what true destruction looks like. For decades, we told ourselves this horror would never happen again. We thought nuclear weapons were the problem of another era. We were wrong.Back in 1945, only one country had nuclear weapons. Now, nine do and that’s just the ones we know about. That number has nearly doubled since the Cold War ended. Instead of a safer world, we live in one teetering on the edge of disaster, led by nations who seem more interested in power than peace.Let’s look at the facts.There are five nuclear-armed countries officially recognized under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT:) the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China. These are the old powers — the ones who built and tested their bombs decades ago. The same five who promised to reduce their stockpiles and work toward a world without nukes. Spoiler alert: they didn’t.Russia still holds the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, with thousands of warheads. The US isn’t far behind. China’s been expanding its arsenal at an alarming rate. And as global tensions rise — with NATO on one side, and the growing China-Russia alliance on the other — the chances of a slip-up or a miscalculation grow higher every year..Then there are the countries that don’t play by the rules. India and Pakistan aren’t part of the NPT, but both have nuclear weapons. Their relationship is tense. They’ve fought wars. They’ve traded fire across borders. And they’re both armed to the teeth.North Korea is the wildcard. It pulled out of the NPT in 2003 and has been testing bombs ever since. It’s unstable. It’s unpredictable. And it now has the ability to strike US territory. That should scare everyone.Israel won’t even admit it has nukes — but everyone knows it does. This policy of “nuclear ambiguity” might keep enemies guessing, but it also keeps the world in the dark. And what about Iran? It’s nuclear program hit a setback when the US bombed its enrichment facilities but that could change. Fast.So here we are, 80 years after Hiroshima, and the threat is not fading. It’s growing. Instead of fewer nuclear powers, we have more. Instead of international unity, we have divisions and distrust. The so-called “rules-based order” hasn’t stopped anything. Treaties like the NPT have become more like suggestions than laws. The nuclear club is no longer exclusive. It’s expanding.And here’s what no one wants to say out loud: nuclear war is no longer unthinkable. It’s a real possibility. One mistake. One madman. One misread radar — and it’s lights out..So why aren’t more people talking about this?Because the media is busy with distractions. Because politicians are more focused on the next election than the next war. Because we’ve all become numb. But we shouldn’t be. The weapons built in the Cold War haven’t gone away — they’ve multiplied. They’ve been upgraded. They’re faster. Deadlier. And in more unstable hands than ever before.We used to say the bomb ended the Second World War. Maybe it did. But it also started something else — a race toward mutual destruction that still hasn’t stopped.Eighty years later, we owe it to ourselves to remember the victims of Hiroshima (and Nagasaki) to take this seriously. Not with hashtags. Not with peace slogans. But with clear eyes and tough action. That means pushing harder for disarmament. That means holding countries accountable — all of them. That means understanding that nuclear war isn’t just a history lesson. It’s a real, modern threat.If we don’t wake up soon, the next Hiroshima might not be one city. It might be dozens.And this time, there won’t be any survivors to mark the anniversary.
