This episode uses a recent film about nuclear war as a starting point to discuss the continuing danger of nuclear weapons. It notes that films and stories about a leader pressing a “big red button” highlight how catastrophic nuclear conflict would be, but the real concern is that such destructive power is concentrated in the hands of political leaders and military systems. Even though the popular image of a literal button is exaggerated, governments still maintain complex systems that could launch nuclear weapons very quickly, making the risk of accidental or deliberate war a persistent threat.

The continued existence of nuclear weapons is linked to the structure of the global system of competing nation-states under capitalism. Military competition and geopolitical rivalry encourage countries to maintain and modernise nuclear arsenals despi ...