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Atomic bombs (and all nuclear weapons) are not actually used in the sense that a country actually drops/fires/launches a nuclear weapon against a foe. Their massive destructive potential has caused them to be moved from a purely military device into the political arena.

Nuclear weapons today are political tools - that is, the possession (or implied attempt to possess) these weapons is considered a political statement, rather than a military one. As such, the quantity, location, and capabilities of a country's nuclear weapons take on significant political meaning. The ability to potentially use such weapons adds a completely new dimension to international relations.

Primarily, nuclear weaponry is used for three purposes: to discourage the use of any Weapon of Mass Destruction (nuclear, chemical, biological, toxin, etc.) by threat of immediate retaliation via nuclear arms, as a moderating influence on aggression by other nuclear-equipped countries, and as a brake (via implied threat) on non-nuclear countries attempts to acquire nuclear weaponry themselves. The second of the above has been the most successful political use, while the first has seen modest success as a strategy, and the third is mostly a failure.

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13y ago

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