Nuclear weapons are overrated. They are no magic talisman that, by simple possession, can guarantee the survival of a regime. After all, the Soviet Union, the world's second-largest nuclear power, lost not only its sphere of influence, but ultimately its very existence as a sovereign nation. Currently, Israel, the world's sixth nuclear power, is locked in a protracted struggle with the Palestinians, a conflict with the most serious economic, political and psychological implications for Israel's fundamental sense of national security--and the possession of nuclear weapons makes not one iota of difference. Nor do nuclear weapons give a state any advantage in dealing with other foreign policy challenges. The United States experienced more than 50,000 fatalities and a searing defeat in Vietnam while possessing tens of thousands of nuclear weapons that were useless white elephants in dealing with the Viet Cong. The same might be said of biological and chemical weapons.
But the weapons should not be belittled; their destructive capacity deserves respect. And they continue to be viewed by many states as the great equalizer in international affairs. India, for example, began to develop nuclear weapons after its defeat by China in 1962. Pakistan followed suit after its defeat by India in 1971, and North Korea appears to have initiated its program after losing its nuclear-armed protector, the USSR, in 1991.
