Stephen Harding wrote:

Although it's a risky premise, I wonder if possession of nuclear weapons
(by a state as opposed to private whackos) forces a degree of care in
decision making that might not otherwise be there? Would the world be a
more peaceful place if *everyone* had nukes???

There is a serious danger in trusting nuclear-armed countries
to be careful: the possibility of accidental nuclear war.

In 1983 a worldwide nuclear war was narrowly averted by a
perceptive, quick-thinking Soviet military officer, Stanislav
Petrov. (Afterward, ironically, instead of being honored and
praised for his actions, he found his life nearly ruined.)
It's a disturbing story, not widely known:

http://www.brightstarsound.com

It seems we were very lucky that day. But what does the future
hold?


N.S.