On 6 and 9 August 1945, the US military bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki using a weapon of unprecedented destructive capability, the atom bomb. These bombings marked the beginning of the nuclear age and remain the only use of a nuclear weapon in an active conflict.

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of these events, Meia Nouwens is joined by Dana Allin, Senior Fellow for US Foreign Policy and Transatlantic Affairs, and Mark Fitzpatrick, Associate Fellow and former Executive Director of IISS–Americas, to discuss the legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the lessons that are at risk of being forgotten today.

They discuss the narrative around the use of the atom bomb, its impact on the national psyche of Japan and its role in creating the nuclear taboo and, eventually, the concept of nuclear deterrence through mutually assured destruction. Both Dana and Mark argue that it falls to today’s leaders to remember the lessons of the past and to slow the recent erosion of nuclear arms controls.

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Date of recording: 25 August 2020

Sounds Strategic is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.

Theme music: ‘Safety in Numbers’ by We Were Promised Jetpacks

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