Navigating a MAD world

Mutually assured destruction is the cornerstone of strategies to prevent nuclear war, but the leaders in charge of the codes hardly inspire confidence

The US, Russia, China, France, the UK, India, Pakistan and North Korea acknowledge possessing nuclear weapons. Israel is believed to have a secret arsenal. Iran may also be on the verge of developing nukes.

South Africa dismantled its arsenal but it is “nuclear-latent”, meaning it could rebuild an arsenal quickly if it chose. There’s a long list of nations like South Africa, which are all a “screwdriver’s turn” away from possessing nukes. There are also 28 nations (apart from ones with nukes) that “endorse” the use of nukes, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) and the Collective