That is why America cannot translate its enormous atomic prowess into real might. Nuclear weapons have never won wars or decisively tilted military balances. Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Falklands, the Balkans, all expose their a-strategic nature. They are not even effective instruments of blackmail. State after state, from tiny Cuba to China, has defied nuclear blackmail attempts.
Nuclear weapons are false symbols of prestige.
But they are ruinously expensive. To build and maintain a tiny arsenal, about a fifth of China's, will cost about Rs. 50,000 crores. This will further inflate our bloated military budget. Already, New Delhi spends twice as much on the military as on health, education and social security put together. With Pokharan-II, and now Kargil, Kashmir stands internationalised.