re: #17 Guanxi88

True enough; nuclear proliferation is, to some extent, an inevitability. And I do agree that, in the hands of rational actors, nukes save lives by preventing little dust-ups from turning into full-on wars of annihilation. But if the folks with nukes are not in all respects reasonable, then the whole calculus is changed.

As technology improves building the will be easier.

The hydrocodes that consumed so much time and energy in ‘45 can be done on a laptop. The design of the primary can be done with off the shelf CAD programs from those calculations. The precision timing that was so difficult in ‘45 is now commonly used in cell phones. The milling machines are common now.

The kicker is and will be for some time, acquiring the nuclear material.

States with an Armageddon complex like Iran are all the more reason to maintain a strong nuclear force. And in a case like that pre-emption should always be an option.