One of the enduring myths about the cold war is that the nuclear stand-off between the US and Soviet Union made the world a safer place. Never mind that mishap or miscalculation would have reduced the planet to radioactive dust. The balance of terror provided certainty; and certainty equalled security. Today’s threats, though diminished, are asymmetric and unpredictable; the world is more dangerous for that.
The facts do not support this theory. Even if one discounts the possibility of an accidental nuclear exchange or a Dr Strangelove with a finger on the button, many more people were killed in proxy wars between the US and the Soviet Union in Asia, Africa and Latin America than have been in myriad subsequent conflicts.
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