No nation, including those with a "defensive" arsenal, such as China with 500, would suffer an attack without a counter-attack.
No nation, under the worst circumstances, needs more weapons (perhaps North Korea, tho its ability to destroy Seoul with 2 or 3 nukes has kept it safe from being attacked. The lesson of Libya, which gave up its WMD, and then was destroyed, is not lost on those with small arsenals. In a world where the superpowers have the capacity to destroy the planet a hundred times, even a few is insurance against being attacked. This realization then (this is how arms races create war scenarios) motivates more nations to acquire the insurance of a nuclear deterrent. And like guns, the more guns, the more violence.
The Mutual Assured Doctrine (MAD) makes a crucial assumption, that cannot be taken for granted: that rational men will control the nuclear arsenals in all nations. Was Hitler rational? Is Trump?
When Trump says he is adopting the Madman theory of Nixon, is he lying or telling the truth. If he backs it up with escalating the nuclear threat, does it matter? Is it now clear WHY Trump, speaking of peace, has loaded up his staff with neo con war hawks, some urging war on Iran, Russia's military ally (as is China).
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