On Thursday, Nov. 2, Russia formally withdrew from the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), the global agreement prohibiting nations from testing nuclear weapons. Russia’s decision to withdraw from the treaty follows its own public threats to use nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine, despite the fact that no nation on Earth has used a nuclear weapon in war since 1945.

Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan explains what this development means and why it is (and isn’t) important. Zeihan asserts that Russia has its own reasons to refrain from tests even outside of the CTBT and says the CTBT was never as effective as the United Nations had hoped it would be in the first place, even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Excerpted from Peter’s Nov. 6 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:

If you were hoping to start your week off with some cheery news – it might be best to skip this video. Russia has stepped away from the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, so we have plenty to discuss today.

My initial concerns aren’t about a return to nuclear testing but rather a much darker scenario – that control of Russia’s nuclear arsenal may be compromised. We’ve already seen failures and cracks throughout the Russian military, but have those vulnerabilities made it to the nuclear program?

If Putin hits the shiny red button and nukes take off, we know how that ends…but what happens if Putin hits that button and nothing happens? I’d prefer to keep that can of worms shut, but we’re nearing a reality where that might not be possible.