The steel man defense for nuclear weapons is just that: nobody wants to use them. Since the development of nuclear weapons, there's been no outright wars betwe

The steel man defense for nuclear weapons is just that: nobody wants to use them. Since the development of nuclear weapons, there's been no outright wars between the major powers for nearly a century. We've lived through the most peaceful period in all of human history. It's debatable how much nuclear armarment contributed to that. But prima facie, it certainly seems like a major reason that the US, Russia, or China haven't gone to war with each other. Given the carnage of the previous two world wars, it seems to me that every dollar spent on nuclear weapons was worth it ten times over.