Eight decades after the destructive bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world still grapples with the terrifying paradox of nuclear weapons. They are designed to deter war by making its costs unthinkable, yet their very existence invites debates about whether they might someday be used.
Leaders have repeatedly affirmed that nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, but their military strategies and weapons programs tell a more complicated story. Rising tensions among great powers, modernized arsenals, and talk of “limited” nuclear exchanges suggest that humanity has entered a new nuclear age.
The idea of a winnable nuclear war is growing more relevant every day, but is it really a simple and achievable thing? Click through this gallery to find out.