Resumption of US Nuclear Tests: Towards a New Atomic Age?
By Jean Wesley Pierre · Port-au-Prince
· 4 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
The announcement sent shockwaves around the world. US President Donald Trump ordered on Thursday, October 30, 2025, the resumption of nuclear weapons tests by the United States, a first since 1992.
Officially justified by the « necessity to remain on par with Russia and China », this decision raises global questions. Beyond political provocation, it opens a crucial debate: What are the consequences for the planet? And could this escalation reignite the flame of a new Cold War?
Nuclear tests, whether atmospheric or underground, leave behind a disastrous ecological legacy. According to the UN, over 2,000 tests have been conducted since 1945, permanently contaminating soils, groundwater, and the atmosphere.
The United States alone has conducted 1,032 of them, primarily in the Nevada desert and the Pacific. The consequences are still measurable today:
But this message could backfire on Washington. « We are witnessing the end of the era of nuclear arsenal reduction and the return to a logic of confrontation », warns Hans Kristensen, a researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). In other words, the resumption of American tests could break the fragile balance of deterrence and reignite a frantic race for atomic military innovation. Since the end of the Cold War, major powers have sought to maintain a nuclear status quo: possessing the bomb, but never using it. However, every test, every strong declaration rekindles mistrust. For Russia, this American announcement could justify new symmetrical tests. For China, it reinforces the conviction that the United States seeks to militarily dominate the 21st century. And for regional powers like India, Pakistan, North Korea, and even Israel, it creates a dangerous precedent. The result could be an uncontrolled proliferation of nuclear weapons and a collapse of control regimes, particularly the CTBT and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The international community, already weakened by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, would see a new front of global confrontation open up. An Imminent War? Unlikely, but Tensions Rise Experts agree: the resumption of US nuclear tests does not mean that a world war is imminent. Nuclear deterrence remains, paradoxically, a factor of relative stability, as no country can trigger an atomic conflict without causing its own destruction. However, the multiplication of tests, provocations, and treaty breaches increases the risks of uncontrolled diplomatic or military incidents. A misinterpreted test shot, a strategic miscalculation, or an act of provocation in the South China Sea or Eastern Europe could trigger an uncontrollable spiral. Daryl G. Kimball, of the Arms Control Association, summarizes: « The United States has no technical or political reason to resume testing. This decision does not make the world safer; it makes it more nervous. » Between Domestic Politics and International Stance Some analysts believe that this announcement by US President Donald Trump is less a military decision than a political maneuver. As elections approach, flexing muscles against Russia and China flatters the nationalist electorate and reinforces the image of a « strong » president. But the symbolic price is heavy: by breaking with three decades of nuclear restraint, Washington weakens the international order and undermines the moral credibility of the United States on the diplomatic stage. A Perilous Return to the Logic of Fire If American tests effectively resume, they will mark the end of an era of nuclear prudence and the beginning of a more unstable, more fragmented world, where every power will feel legitimized to test, threaten, or modernize its arsenal. The danger is not only military: it is ecological, diplomatic, and moral. Humanity has already seen what two bombs could do to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To return to nuclear testing is to accept the idea that mass destruction can once again become an instrument of policy.
And that, experts warn, would be a far more serious conflagration than any underground test.
- abnormal rates of cancers and congenital malformations in exposed populations,
- residual radioactivity detected in the water and soil of former test sites,
- suspended radioactive particles that have circulated in global air currents.
But this message could backfire on Washington. « We are witnessing the end of the era of nuclear arsenal reduction and the return to a logic of confrontation », warns Hans Kristensen, a researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). In other words, the resumption of American tests could break the fragile balance of deterrence and reignite a frantic race for atomic military innovation. Since the end of the Cold War, major powers have sought to maintain a nuclear status quo: possessing the bomb, but never using it. However, every test, every strong declaration rekindles mistrust. For Russia, this American announcement could justify new symmetrical tests. For China, it reinforces the conviction that the United States seeks to militarily dominate the 21st century. And for regional powers like India, Pakistan, North Korea, and even Israel, it creates a dangerous precedent. The result could be an uncontrolled proliferation of nuclear weapons and a collapse of control regimes, particularly the CTBT and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The international community, already weakened by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, would see a new front of global confrontation open up. An Imminent War? Unlikely, but Tensions Rise Experts agree: the resumption of US nuclear tests does not mean that a world war is imminent. Nuclear deterrence remains, paradoxically, a factor of relative stability, as no country can trigger an atomic conflict without causing its own destruction. However, the multiplication of tests, provocations, and treaty breaches increases the risks of uncontrolled diplomatic or military incidents. A misinterpreted test shot, a strategic miscalculation, or an act of provocation in the South China Sea or Eastern Europe could trigger an uncontrollable spiral. Daryl G. Kimball, of the Arms Control Association, summarizes: « The United States has no technical or political reason to resume testing. This decision does not make the world safer; it makes it more nervous. » Between Domestic Politics and International Stance Some analysts believe that this announcement by US President Donald Trump is less a military decision than a political maneuver. As elections approach, flexing muscles against Russia and China flatters the nationalist electorate and reinforces the image of a « strong » president. But the symbolic price is heavy: by breaking with three decades of nuclear restraint, Washington weakens the international order and undermines the moral credibility of the United States on the diplomatic stage. A Perilous Return to the Logic of Fire If American tests effectively resume, they will mark the end of an era of nuclear prudence and the beginning of a more unstable, more fragmented world, where every power will feel legitimized to test, threaten, or modernize its arsenal. The danger is not only military: it is ecological, diplomatic, and moral. Humanity has already seen what two bombs could do to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To return to nuclear testing is to accept the idea that mass destruction can once again become an instrument of policy.
And that, experts warn, would be a far more serious conflagration than any underground test.
