It does not make sense to compare the nuclear war games and stand-off's in the Cold War era, based then on the relationships between a small group of countries (e.g. Britain, France, the US, Russia, and China) with nuclear capacities, with what is happening now, as small and typically unstable countries, often fearful in unstable regions, find their way to develop their, albeit much smaller, nuclear capacities. This started with Israel (and the US quiet approval of Israel having a nuclear capacity), and then spread to India and Pakistan (both countries that Canad's nuclear industry helped), and from there to North Korea and likely, in the future, Iran and Saudi Arabia. In the earlier times, post WW II, nuclear bombs had just become available, and the technical knowledge was scarcer. Now, the knowledge is easy to buy, and the materials and equipment are easy to find. There will be no freeze on this nuclear capacity expanding process until these regions find a greater degree of peace.