High Impact Conventionals: A Realist Approach to Nuclear Disarmament
David McHUTCHON
It is axiomatic that the worst place to be in a nuclear war is in a country with nuclear weapons, yet to this day, nuclear weapons are considered to be the ultimate sign of prestige in international relations, and represent for many countries an important guarantor of territorial integrity.
Particularly notable is the role that nuclear weapons play in allowing nuclear states dominance over non-nuclear states in territorial or border disputes. Which non-nuclear state would dare launch a major conventional attack against a nuclear power?