> it's entirely rational for a country under constant threat like Iran (or Israel) to want nuclear weapons. No, it's really not. It's akin to citizens wanting

> it's entirely rational for a country under constant threat like Iran (or Israel) to want nuclear weapons. No, it's really not. It's akin to citizens wanting to walk around with ARs in case they need to defend themselves. No, worse, because at least an AR wont annihilate everyone around you after you're already dead. The value in having nuclear weapons is the threat that you could spitefully take your opponents out with you. The danger in having nuclear weapons is that some day it could actually happen. Mutually assured destruction is not a deterrent. It's an eventuality - one which we should be vigilantly protecting against.