--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We cannot afford to have a nuclear arms…" description: "\"We cannot afford to have a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region of the world.\" — Barack Obama" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/barack-obama-17_arms-race_we-cannot-afford-to-have-a-nuclear-arms_1523152.jpg" --- # We cannot afford to have a nuclear arms race in the most… ![“We cannot afford to have a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region of the world.” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/barack-obama-17_arms-race_we-cannot-afford-to-have-a-nuclear-arms_1523152.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/barack-obama-17_arms-race_we-cannot-afford-to-have-a-nuclear-arms_1523152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/barack-obama-17_arms-race_we-cannot-afford-to-have-a-nuclear-arms_1523152.jpg) > “We cannot afford to have a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region of the world.” [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A nuclear arms race in unstable regions heightens danger and undermines global security. **In simple terms:** Arms races in volatile areas are dangerous. Key Takeaway Avoid escalating weapons in unstable zones. Themes security politics stability Mood serious concerned Type policy political When to use this quote - policy making - diplomacy - regional conflicts - defense planning Key Concepts deterrence geopolitics risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - Can peace be achieved without deterrence? - What alternatives exist to reduce nuclear threats? A Different Perspective Political constraints may limit disarmament options. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arms race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms-race/) [Nuclear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear/) [Nuclear arms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-arms/) [Nuclear arms race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-arms-race/) ## Related quotes > [ Without a deal \[with Iran\], the international sanctions regime will unravel with little ability to reimpose them. With this deal, we have the possibility… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/without-a-deal-with-iran-the-international-sanctions-regime-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The alternative, no limits on Iran's nuclear program, no inspections, an Iran that's closer to a nuclear weapon, the risk of regional nuclear arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-alternative-no-limits-on-iran-s-nuclear-program-no-inspections-an/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [A nuclear Iran is a threat to America's national security, and it is a threat to Israel's national security. We cannot afford to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/a-nuclear-iran-is-a-threat-to-america-s-national-security-and-it-is-a/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [But scientists on both sides of the iron curtain played a very significant role in maintaining the momentum of the nuclear arms race throughout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-rotblat/but-scientists-on-both-sides-of-the-iron-curtain-played-a-very/) [Joseph Rotblat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-rotblat/) > [...convince all nuclear powers, including those which have been more reluctant up to now, of the necessity to respect the "vital interests" of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfonso-garcia-robles/convince-all-nuclear-powers-including-those-which-have-been-more/) Alfonso Garcia Robles > [I agree that we need a working relationship with Russia to deescalate a nuclear arms race, to resolve the crisis in Syria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-vanden-heuvel/i-agree-that-we-need-a-working-relationship-with-russia-to-deescalate/) [Katrina vanden Heuvel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-vanden-heuvel/) > [We will stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power. We will stop that nuclear arms race that could happen in the Middle East. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-jindal/we-will-stop-iran-from-becoming-a-nuclear-power-we-will-stop-that/) [Bobby Jindal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-jindal/) > [Our tolerance of the intolerable found a low threshold as early as the late 1950s with the grotesque excesses of McCarthyism, which destroyed so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/our-tolerance-of-the-intolerable-found-a-low-threshold-as-early-as/) [Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/) > [As a military man who has given half a century of active service I say in all sincerity that the nuclear arms race has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-mountbatten/as-a-military-man-who-has-given-half-a-century-of-active-service-i/) [Lord Mountbatten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-mountbatten/) > [The nuclear arms race has no military purpose. Wars cannot be fought with nuclear weapons. Their existence only adds to our perils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-mountbatten/the-nuclear-arms-race-has-no-military-purpose-wars-cannot-be-fought/) [Lord Mountbatten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-mountbatten/) > [To respond to North Korea by having our own nuclear weapons will not maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula and could lead to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moon-jae-in/to-respond-to-north-korea-by-having-our-own-nuclear-weapons-will-not/) [Moon Jae-in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moon-jae-in/) > [The nuclear arms race is like two people sitting in a pool of gasoline spending all their time making matches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/the-nuclear-arms-race-is-like-two-people-sitting-in-a-pool-of/) [John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/) > [If Iran becomes a nuclear weapon state it is the end of non-proliferation as we know it. If Iran gets a nuclear weapon you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-fox/if-iran-becomes-a-nuclear-weapon-state-it-is-the-end-of-non/) [Liam Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-fox/) > [The nuclear arms race is like two sworn enemies standing waist deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-nuclear-arms-race-is-like-two-sworn-enemies-standing-waist-deep/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [We don't need another nuclear arms race to proceed a pace and then to encourage other countries to become very, to develop these kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazie-hirono/we-don-t-need-another-nuclear-arms-race-to-proceed-a-pace-and-then-to/) [Mazie Hirono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mazie-hirono/) ## More by Barack Obama > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/donald-trump-is-temperamentally-unfit/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What we've said to the girls is: 'If you guys ever decide that you're going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-we-ve-said-to-the-girls-is-if-you-guys-ever-decide-that-you-re/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ That is another theme in the book \[Dreams from My Father\]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams-from-my-father-how-do-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I want to thank the Greek people publicly for their humanitarian response to the crisis of so many migrants and refugees seeking safety in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-thank-the-greek-people-publicly-for-their-humanitarian/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We had a farewell dinner for some of my senior staff, and generally everybody likes to talk about how cool I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-had-a-farewell-dinner-for-some-of-my-senior-staff-and-generally/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ It's good to get fresh legs in \[the White house\]. I think that it refreshes our democracy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-good-to-get-fresh-legs-in-the-white-house-i-think-that-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Believe it or not, entertainment is part of our American diplomacy, it is part of what makes us exceptional, part of what makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/believe-it-or-not-entertainment-is-part-of-our-american-diplomacy-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Explore all 3,624 Barack Obama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More Arms race quotes > [Gee, I wish we had one of them doomsday machines things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/gee-i-wish-we-had-one-of-them-doomsday-machines-things/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [We do not have the right to forget that reactionary imperialism exists and its forces actively operate in the world, that they encourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-grechko/we-do-not-have-the-right-to-forget-that-reactionary-imperialism/) Andrei Grechko > [Southerners, whose ancestors a hundred years ago knew the horrors of a homeland devastated by war, are particularly determined that war shall never come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/southerners-whose-ancestors-a-hundred-years-ago-knew-the-horrors-of-a/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [But scientists on both sides of the iron curtain played a very significant role in maintaining the momentum of the nuclear arms race throughout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-rotblat/but-scientists-on-both-sides-of-the-iron-curtain-played-a-very/) [Joseph Rotblat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-rotblat/) > [The Iranian regime supports violent extremists and challenges us across the region. It pursues a nuclear capability that could spark a dangerous arms race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-iranian-regime-supports-violent-extremists-and-challenges-us/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Our tolerance of the intolerable found a low threshold as early as the late 1950s with the grotesque excesses of McCarthyism, which destroyed so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/our-tolerance-of-the-intolerable-found-a-low-threshold-as-early-as/) [Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/) > [A program of "disarmament," while imperialist antagonisms survive, is the most pernicious of fictions. Even if it were realized by way of general agreement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/a-program-of-disarmament-while-imperialist-antagonisms-survive-is-the/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [We will stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power. We will stop that nuclear arms race that could happen in the Middle East. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-jindal/we-will-stop-iran-from-becoming-a-nuclear-power-we-will-stop-that/) [Bobby Jindal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-jindal/) > [India, Pakistan, China, Singapore and South Korea are heavily investing in nuclear arms. Since 21st century is the century of Asia, Asian countries should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/india-pakistan-china-singapore-and-south-korea-are-heavily-investing/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [Because there is global insecurity, nations are engaged in a mad arms race, spending billions of dollars wastefully on instruments of destruction, when millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/because-there-is-global-insecurity-nations-are-engaged-in-a-mad-arms/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [I agree that we need a working relationship with Russia to deescalate a nuclear arms race, to resolve the crisis in Syria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-vanden-heuvel/i-agree-that-we-need-a-working-relationship-with-russia-to-deescalate/) [Katrina vanden Heuvel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-vanden-heuvel/) > [“the Russian assault rifle would see its first combat use—both by conventional forces and by insurgents. The United States military, all the while, would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-chivers/the-russian-assault-rifle-would-see-its-first-combat-use-both-by/) [C.J. Chivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-chivers/) > [...convince all nuclear powers, including those which have been more reluctant up to now, of the necessity to respect the "vital interests" of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfonso-garcia-robles/convince-all-nuclear-powers-including-those-which-have-been-more/) Alfonso Garcia Robles > [Of course, one of the most disturbing features is the fact that while we have had roughly a ten year pause in the arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-virilio/of-course-one-of-the-most-disturbing-features-is-the-fact-that-while/) [Paul Virilio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-virilio/) > [World War I broke out largely because of an arms race, and World War II because of the lack of an arms race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/world-war-i-broke-out-largely-because-of-an-arms-race-and-world-war/) [Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/) [Browse all 136 Arms race quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms-race/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We cannot afford to have a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region of the world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barack Obama" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-cannot-afford-to-have-a-nuclear-arms-race-in-the-most-volatile/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arms race" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-cannot-afford-to-have-a-nuclear-arms-race-in-the-most-volatile/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/barack-obama-17_arms-race_we-cannot-afford-to-have-a-nuclear-arms_1523152.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/barack-obama-17_arms-race_we-cannot-afford-to-have-a-nuclear-arms_1523152.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/barack-obama-17_arms-race_we-cannot-afford-to-have-a-nuclear-arms_1523152.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We cannot afford to have a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region of the world.” — Barack Obama", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Barack Obama", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We cannot afford to have a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-cannot-afford-to-have-a-nuclear-arms-race-in-the-most-volatile/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-cannot-afford-to-have-a-nuclear-arms-race-in-the-most-volatile/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```