Why did Belarus acquire Nuclear Weapons?
Changes in the regional balance of power are the result
Belarus now has acquired again the technical capacity to launch nuclear weapons. Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that some Belarussian Su-24 jet fighters have been outfitted with the capacity to launch nuclear missiles.
No announcement of delivery of warheads or missiles was made, although it can be inferred from the announcement above that this represents a declaration of nuclear deterrent on the part of Belarus. Lukashenko also said that Belarus had launch sites ready for surface-to-air capability. He said this was an attempt to “keep the gunpowder dry.”
With reporting that Poland has deployed troops to their border with Belarus and ground troops in Ukraine supporting the NATO war effort there, Belarus has been taking steps of their own. They have deployed troops and heavy weapons and equipment also to their borders.
Baltic states have also been escalating an economic war against Belarus and Russia, even trying to disrupt lawful travel between Belarus and the Russian territory of Kaliningrad, a Russian military stronghold.
If issues escalate to existential levels, countries often rely on the threat of nuclear intervention. Lukashenko’s apparent control of nuclear weapons gives him an ace card in Eastern Europe that only NATO and Russia now possess.
In disputes over the Suwalki Gap, the corridor over Lithuania that allows passage from Belarus to Kaliningrad, Lukashenko now has another big card to play in this “game.” It also allows corresponding passage from Poland to the Baltic states to ensure the territorial integrity of the NATO military alliance. Belarus can also flex its muscle to cut the Baltic states off from the rest of Europe.
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What kind of question is that? If we compare the respective fates of Iraq and Libya on the one hand, and Pakistan and North Korea on the other, nuclear weapons are a protection against American aggression.