WE NO LONGER FEAR THERMONUCLEAR WAR!
The 'Cold War,' which followed WWII, lasted until the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. When I was in Elementary school, the threat and fear of nuclear war with the USSR was ingrained in us through government movies, the media, and the constant "Duck and Cover" drills. During that time, what deterred a nuclear war was the awareness and fear that the Soviet Union and the US had sufficient atomic warheads to annihilate each other. The problem today is that the fear has disappeared, and governments are not interested in informing, educating, or reminding their citizens about the truth regarding nuclear weapons.
Today, nine countries possess nuclear weapons: the United States, Russia, France, China, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea. In total, the global nuclear stockpile is close to 13,000 weapons. That does not consider how much more destructive power the present warheads have. Case in point: The warheads on just one US nuclear-armed submarine have seven times the destructive power of all the bombs dropped during World War II, including the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan. The US usually has at least ten of those submarines at sea!
Image of Hiroshima after A-Bomb
Considering that so many countries have nuclear stockpiles, the potential of a nuclear war is statistically much greater now than at any time during the Cold War. This is especially true due to 1) the number of conflicts and wars worldwide at any given time and 2) the unpredictability of how each country's government will respond if tensions get too high. Some leaders with decision-making powers could do crazy things when angry or with their backs against the wall.
If we don't remember and experience the visceral fear we once had of the devastating risks of a nuclear war, I'm afraid that our survival as a species could be in jeopardy. There are governments, politicians, arms dealers, and the military-industrial complex that are so obsessed with wars that they may choose to ignore the grave consequences and the wishes of the people.
http://www.michaeljdorfman.com