Nuclear Deterrent

What do you people think of the Nuclear Deterrant/MAD system?

Do you think it has made the world a safer or less safe place in the last 60 years?

I think that after WWII, if countries that had nuclear weapons (I think they were the USSR and the USA), hadn't been enemies, one of them would have tried to take over other countries (as it was up for grabs) but they never because they had to worry about the other one. Then other countries obtained these weapons. I think they keep the world safe. Because they have so much destructive power, ironically they have kept us safe as countries don't want to fight big wars against Nuclear powers. Also Nuclear powers don't want to go to war with each other.

They'd definitely make the world a more dangerous place if someone used one now because people would think, they used one, why can't we.

Well thats just my opinion.

I'd love to hear your opinions and some of your thoughts on the issue.

[Edited on 3-6-2004 by John bull 1]

Made the world safer by far. 1914-1945 saw 2 world wars that killed 8 million and 55 million respectively.

The Nuclear threat in the "MAD" system killed 0 people and there were no more world wars between great powers.

And probably never will be again.

No two nuclear nations have ever gone to war. MAD definately works.
One note though: Russia didn't have the bomb until 1949, so at the end of the war, America COULD have started a war of conquest if they wanted. The world is very fortunate that a decent man was president in 1945. An indecent man would have provoked a confrontation in Berlin begun to invade Eastern Europe, using the bomb to break a hole in Russian defenses.

That's exactly why I disagree with groups like the CND (about their stance on Nukes). They can't see or don't want to say that nuclear weapons have kept them safe.

Also Pakistan and India did very nearly go to war recently.

[Edited on 3/6/04 by Hyperen]

The world is very fortunate that a decent man was president in 1945.

That and the western allies were scared of the Russian tanks rolling through the rest of europe, and they could have easily rolled through the western allies if they wanted to. By the time the U.S. had enough nukes to make the tank risk managable Russia had nukes of its own.