Charles Krauthammer

In the following viewpoint, Charles Krauthammer argues that countries with nuclear weapons are less likely to go to war because they realize that a war may lead to nuclear annihilation. However, Krauthammer maintains, countries with just a few nuclear weapons are at a higher risk of nuclear war because it is much more tempting for a hostile nation to try and destroy all its enemy’s nuclear weapons in a first strike. For that reason, he asserts, it is better for countries to have many nuclear weapons to reduce the possibility that these warheads will all be destroyed in a preemptive nuclear attack. Krauthammer is a syndicated columnist.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Krauthammer, what was the most stabilizing factor in the nuclear equation between the United States and Russia...